


Hearts and Claws

by RB (BlueflowersandWings)



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Abuse of italics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Spirits, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Camping, Choi Yeonjun is So Done, Don't copy to another site, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, Lots of Activities, M/M, Magic, Spells & Enchantments, Sports, Wands, bts cameo, sweet Choi Soobin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 48,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25180015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueflowersandWings/pseuds/RB
Summary: "Oh my God, this is insane-"Yeonjun groans. "Okay, stop. How can you even laugh in a situation like this?""How can I not?" Beomgyu snorts, doubling over. "You got allotted with Choi Soobin.Choi Soobin. You, a pureblood Fox, got allotted with a giantbunny. Oh, this is the best day of my life."-(Or, the three things Choi Yeonjun comes to learn not even a whole day in at K-Camp:1) Don't listen to half the things your spirit says, it's just a recipe for trouble;2) Don't get on the bad side ofsocially disastroussquirrels, they have the ability to fry your hair; and3) Stay thehellaway from Choi Soobin. Even if you can't, just- stay away.This was indeed going to be a very complicated Summer.)
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 65
Kudos: 171





	1. Follow your-

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, this was just supposed to be a fluffy one-shot, but then it spiralled into a wildly magical universe... I hope everyone enjoys this, let's meet downstairs! ╰(*°▽°*)╯

_****Day 0:** **_

****

****

  


"Oh, this is insane."

  


On a bright, sunny, not-so-random morning, Choi Yeonjun realises he officially hated his life. Or that his life hated _him_. Whichever way it worked.

"Yup, quite insane this is," Choi Beomgyu whistles, curiously tilting his head; then blinks. "Okay, wait up- are you sure we're talking about the _same_ insane here?"

"What makes you think we're not?" Yeonjun grumbles, turning sideways to look at his friend, a hand pressed crossly against his cheek. "What up there looks insane to _you_ , Gyu?"

"Of course you notice the _utter catastrophe_ I can see in the arrangement, don't you?" The straw-haired boy tucks a hand under his chin, pointing up at the board with the other. "Kang Taehyun got allotted to the same cabin as that Huening Kai kid, as _roommates_. Now _that_ is a disaster you don't see every day in the making."

Shuffling closer to the Cabin Allotment board, Yeonjun squints. "Uh," he says, voice flat, "Gyu. You do realise you've been placed in the same cabin as them, don't you?"

"Of course I do. I'll get to enjoy watching the disaster unfold, and maybe even add something of my own." Beomgyu grins, wriggling his fingers, unabashedly delighted. "Like I said, it's _insane_."

Yeonjun levels his friend with a deeply judging stare, not bothering enough to be subtle about it. "As much as I'd like to comment that you need social help," he says, making Beomgyu scowl, "you're right, we're talking about entirely different things here."

"How so?" Beomgyu tilts his head to look up to where Yeonjun points, at the list of students selected randomly to reside in Cabin C. He skims through the names, disinterested; but when he finally spots what Yeonjun was getting at, his lips splutter, eyes growing wide in realisation.

"Oh my god," he starts, practically wheezing. "Oh my god- this- this is _insane_ -"

The next second, Choi Beomgyu, Music and Sports major, Yeonjun's best friend and well-wisher extraordinaire, clutches hard at his stomach and bursts out laughing like a veritable maniac.

"Wow, some kinda friend you are," Yeonjun grumbles, sighing when the other guy only laughs harder. "Okay, okay- _stop_. How can you even laugh in a situation like this?"

"How can I not?" Beomgyu snorts, doubling over. "You got allotted with Choi Soobin. _Choi Soobin_. You, a pureblood Fox, got allotted with a giant _bunny_." He tries somewhat to control himself, reign in his amusement, but crumbles just as easily. "This is so _wild_! This is like, the best day of my life."

"Thanks you for your sympathy." Yeonjun tunes out Beomgyu's laughter as he gazes back at his and Choi Soobin's names printed side by side on the Cabin Allotment board. Out of all the arrangements they could have possibly come up with, the camp coordinators just _had_ to decide on _this_. He sighs for maybe the fifth time that morning; and a sixth time more when a smooth, pitched, quite invisible voice rumbles in his head, growling, _'What the heck, human? What kinda new torture are you subjecting me to now?'_

 _'It's not torture. It's just... a rabbit,'_ Yeonjun knows there is nothing true about that statement, but he can't help it. _'It's just another bunny-spirit, don't worry. It won't hurt us.'_

 _'Of course it won't. **We** are the predators, we're supposed to hunt it down. That's the whole point.'_ When the blue-haired boy only rolls his eyes and huffs, the invisible voice lets out an indignant whine, loud enough to make him cringe. _'Ohhh, I get it. Dangle an entire prey in front of my nose for three fucking weeks, and it's not supposed to be torture. Like that freaking Bear wasn't bad enough, now this. I'm surrounded by idiots- two-legged idiots.'_

"This is going to be a disaster," Yeonjun says to his Bear-friend Beomgyu, who can only bend over himself and laugh harder. He sighs, hiking the backpack up on his shoulders. He looks over the heads of the crowd to spot his cabin among the dozens littered around, trying in vain to ignore the prickling feeling of dread rapidly creeping up his spine.

 _'Fucking hell,'_ his spirit maturely mutters, and he somewhat agrees. The next three weeks were going to be _complicated_ ; Yeonjun can just feel it.

**-**

  


"ALL RIGHT," a loud voice rings out over the wide central field. "NOW THAT WE'RE ALL GATHERED TOGETHER- HELLO EVERYBODY, WELCOME TO K-CAMP! I'M THE GENERAL COORDINATOR HERE, JUNG HOSEO-"

  


A loud _screech_ , and the speech is cut off as sparks start flying out of the magical loudspeaker. General Coordinator Jung Hoseok blinks down confusedly at the contraption, shaking it experimentally- then proceeds to let out a half-scream when the machine straight-up explodes. It's nothing much, just a shower of stars and smoke; as most of the students in the crowd start laughing, Yeonjun winces sympathetically, scowling at Beomgyu who openly snickers beside him.

"Now _that's_ a great opening speech," the boy says, sharp teeth glinting. "Really gets you fired up for the activities."

"This is an _educational_ camp, Gyu, we can ignore such mistakes." Yeonjun tries really hard not to smile, but the Coordinator shaking his head and going _Goddamnit Namjoon, not the speakers too_ does make things quite difficult. "We've not even started yet. I'm sure the activities are going to be loads better."

 _'As if you actually believe that,'_ the annoying voice in his head sarcastically quips. _'Accept it human. This camp is going to bring us nothing but trouble.'_

 _'Even if we think so, we don't have to be too loud about it,'_ Yeonjun retorts. _'Especially not like Beomgyu.'_

 _'Bullshit,'_ his spirit says, and Yeonjun has no idea from where it learnt to curse. Nope, no idea. _'C'mon Jun, you know me. You know us. We're evil, we're born to rile people up. We gotta play pranks and clown people to practically make a living. Get out of that good-boy image and embrace yourself.'_

_'You know you take up only one half of my soul, right? I still have another half that walks on two legs and uses its brain instead of sheer instinct.'_

"Okay, we don't need this," Coordinator Jung Hoseok mutters, dramatically flinging the loudspeaker away from himself and inhaling deep. "YOUR ATTENTION AGAIN, FELLOW ANIMALS," he bellows, voice sounding ten times louder than before, and this time even Beomgyu looks stupefied. "I BELIEVE THAT ALL OF YOU HERE ARE AWARE OF YOUR RESPECTIVE CABINS AND CABINMATES BY NOW. IF THERE'S ANY CONFUSION, YOU CAN GO AND CHECK OUT THE CABIN ALLOTMENT BOARD RIGHT THERE-"

He points with a hand to his left. Yeonjun doesn't want to think about cabins right now. Or ever.

"-BUT SINCE NO ONE IS GETTING UP, I'LL ASSUME THAT YOU'RE ALL GOOD," the Coordinator gives the crowd a wide, blinding grin. "NOW THAT THAT'S SETTLED, WE CAN COME DOWN TO THE MORE EXCITING ACTIVITIES. NAMELY, CHOOSING YOUR RESPECTIVE PAIRS AND GROUPS."

"Our _what_?" Yeonjun whisper-shouts at Beomgyu, who confusedly shrugs.

"Cross your fingers it won't be Kang Taehyun with Huening Kai," the younger says, even though there's a smile on his lips. "I'd love to see them figuring each other out, but as a fellow cabinmate, it might be a bit more than I can handle."

"You secretly want them to be together, don't you?" Yeonjun guesses, brows pinching. "You absolute sadist."

"What can I say, I love drama. Sue me."

"THIS ACTIVITY, OF COURSE, IS SUPPOSED TO BE A BONDING EXERCISE," Hoseok informs the crowd that is now abuzz with excitement, all heads turning to curiously look here and there. "TO START WITH, I WOULD LIKE YOU ALL TO STAND UP AND CLOSE YOUR EYES. I SHALL CAST A SIMPLE SPELL HERE," he brandishes a long wooden wand from one of his jacket-pockets, waving it casually, "AND ON THE COUNT OF TEN, YOU ALL SHALL OPEN YOUR EYES, AND LET YOUR HEARTS LEAD YOU TO YOUR CHOSEN PEERS. NOW, LET'S BEGIN."

"This camp just gets weirder and weirder," Beomgyu mutters, standing up and closing his eyes all the same. "I hope we're paired together, hyung. You're cool, and we can have lots of fun together."

"I deserve a say in this too, right?" Yeonjun whispers, eyes closed, as the Coordinator starts counting _1, 2, 3._ "If _I_ have a choice here, we're never going to end up as partners."

"How cold," Yeonjun feels a sneaky hand creep around his arm. "I still hope Taehyun gets paired with Huening Kai though."

"8, 9, 10," Hoseok claps his hands, a strange swishing noise in the air. "THAT'S IT. NOW OPEN YOUR EYES, EVERYONE."

Cautiously, Yeonjun parts his lashes; looks up to peek curiously at the bright sky above. There's a bubbling hush in the crowd, everyone looking around, trying to spot anything different or out-of-place in their surroundings. Yeonjun glances through his bangs over the wide grassy field, wondering what's happening- when suddenly a tiny blob of blue appears right in front of his face, edges looking soft and fuzzy like a cloud. He blinks, expecting it to be a trick of the light; but there blob stays, floating in the air, swishing a little as if trying to get his attention.

"Woah, what's this?" Yeonjun turns to see Beomgyu cradling a similar golden blob in his hands. "What're we supposed to do with it?"

Yeonjun looks back at his own spark, observing its faint sky glow with abject curiosity. All around them, everyone seemed to be encountering a similar companion, eliciting loud, surprised gasps from the crowd, the blobs glowing bright and floating about people's heads like tiny, glinting fairy-lights.

"REMEMBER, FOLLOW YOUR HEART," General Coordinator Jung Hoseok says, grinning widely. "LET LOOSE AND ALLOW YOUR INSTINCTS TO GUIDE YOU. YOU'RE ALL NOW OLD ENOUGH TO PAVE THE WAY FOR YOURSELVES, RIGHT?"

"Gyu, what's he saying-"

Yeonjun turns, only to see his friend weaving his way to the back of the crowd, seemingly absorbed with his starlight. Yeonjun feels a soft something brush against his cheek, and sure enough, it's his own blue blob, somehow sworn and insistent on holding his attention.

 _'Follow the light, you idiot,'_ his spirit chides from inside his head. _'Seriously, we could have a path laid out in front of us, and you'd still somehow trip into a jungle.'_

 _'Again, one half of my soul is all you,'_ Yeonjun returns, ducking his head and trying to walk forward. Excitedly, the blob seems to brighten up, twirling and zooming past his ears to lead a way through the clearing, glowing brighter when Yeonjun obediently follows. He walks and walks, through random groups and sturdy grass, through joyful cries and indignant exclaims; the blobs seemed to be pairing people up, in twos and threes, and halfway through his walk, Yeonjun realises that he was going to get paired up with someone, too.

 _'Oh boy,'_ he thinks, suddenly desperate to spot Beomgyu's trademark blonde hair nearby. _'Oh boy, I'm being paired up. I don't know anyone here, I dunno who-'_

 _"Don't worry, nothing can be worse than living together with a bunny,'_ his spirit forlornly sighs. _'Can you believe it? Me, a fox, living together with an actual bunny. You humans don't respect us spirits anymore.'_

Yeonjun lends half an ear to the ramblings, concentrated on walking forward. He walks and walks, for minutes; but apparently his partner- or partner _s_ \- had decided to stray at one far end of the field, a ridiculous distance away from the crowded Announcement Rock.

The place is lined with tall grasses, dry weeds, and even taller trees. There were a few people here and there, mostly joined at the hip or at least close enough to show off a bit of familiarity. As his blob skips airily around, emmiting an almost elated hum, Yeonjun lets his eyes skim through the clearing to spot any lone residents, like him, but doesn't find too many candidates to choose from.

There's only one person he can see, in nearby vicinity. It's a guy, tall and alone, glancing here and there, body language exuding thorough confusion. Standing with his back to Yeonjun, his shoulders are slumped and bunched together, head peering down to probably look at his own light in his hands.

Unconsciously, Yeonjun strays closer. "Hey, um," he says, hoping weakly he didn't have to walk any further. "Hey- are you looking for your partner too?"

The guy turns around. Dark, soft bangs fall over a milky-white forehead, pink lips looking pinched and parted. His eyes are wide yet shy, a warm brown, his fair fingers enclosed around a blob glowing blue like the sky, impossibly identical to Yeonjun's own.

With slow, thudding heartbeats, Choi Yeonjun finds himself staring at the lost, confused face of one Choi Soobin.

 **(** Who, he is now painfully sure, is supposed to be his camp _partner_. For three whole _weeks_. **)**

"NO WAY. NO WAY IN HELL." From one far corner of the field, Yeonjun can hear Beomgyu's deranged voice ringing out in despair. "THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING. WE CANNOT BE PARTNERS, YOU AND I CAN NEVER BE PARTNERS."

No one hears what the response is, mainly because there _is_ no response; but an answering explosion of ink pellets and feathery rain, too unique to one Kang Taehyun's magic, seems to put a lid on that conversation.

 _'Wow, great,'_ Yeonjun's spirit whines dramatically in his head. _'Apparently something worse than living with a bunny is being **partners** with one. Congratulations human, you're quite possibly the unluckiest person in this world. I hate you.'_

Yeonjun's mind shutters. Completely.

_'Oh my god. Of all people in the world-'_

**-**

  


"Of all the people in the world, why _him_?"

  


Yeonjun simply shrugs.

"Oh, I hate my life. I'm the unluckiest person in the world." The blue-haired boy wants to comment on how much he relates to that sentiment, on a _spiritual_ level- but Beomgyu pushes through with his ramble, without stopping for a second. "I hate my life, I hate this camp. This is the _worst_ camp in the world."

"Our University would like to disagree," Yeonjun sighs, feeling numb and dispirited. "Only the best performers from each faculty get a chance to come here. We should consider ourselves really lucky, Gyu."

"Bullshit," Beomgyu seethes, and Yeonjun agrees. "This is pure bullshit. Damn it all to _hell-_ "

Being older, Yeonjun should probably rebuke the younger for his language; but objectively speaking, he himself feels no different. His spirit is cursing their predicament two miles a minute in his head, and it _does_ take up one entire half of his conscience. Hooking his arms around his elbows, he glances over to the field, at the crowd of students retreating back to their cabins, some chatting up with their partners, some maintaining a reluctant distance. Just a little away, he can spot a curly, brown-haired boy chatting animatedly with a six-foot something senior, laughing and tugging at his arms like old childhood friends, looking- for all intents and purposes- the happiest, most content pair in the world.

Yeonjun's jaw clenches. He swiftly looks away.

"How ironic," he turns to see Beomgyu looking at the same direction, a small scowl on his face. "Who knew Choi Soobin and that Huening Kai kid were already such good friends? How surprising."

 _No, it isn't. I did. I knew._ Yeonjun sighs, again. "He's _your_ partner, Beomgyu. Go easy on the kid, will you?"

"I'm not worried about Kai. I'm worried about _him_ ," the younger boy crosses his hands across his chest, quietly seething. Yeonjun doesn't need to look around to understand who he's talking about. " _Kang freaking Taehyun._ I cannot believe it. Kang Taehyun and me can never be partners. Never _ever_."

"Well, technically Huening Kai and Taehyun _did_ end up together. At least one of your wishes came true." When Beomgyu only stares at him with a blank, unimpressed look, Yeonjun groans, exasperated. "Oh c'mon Gyu, what do you want me to say? On the bright side, you've got both of your cabinmates in your group. That's like, getting extra time to know each other, to _bond_. Even if we talk about spirit compatibility here, a bear and a squirrel is loads better than a fox and a bunny. You don't have it too bad, cheer up."

"Let me rephrase that for you, hyung," Yeonjun rolls his eyes as his friend holds up three fingers. "Just imagine. If we put a hyperactive bear with a _socially disastrous_ squirrel _and_ a jumpy, impulsive kid with a _Heaven-knows-what_ spirit, do you really think our group has any chance of survival?" The younger boy vibrates with distress, brushing a hand through his (now multicoloured) locks. "He even _fried_ my hair, hyung! That unbelievable squirrel, he-"

"Well, you did express your repulsion for him in the most public way ever," Yeonjun points out. "Also, Taehyun didn't fry it. He just, kind of... drenched it in ink."

"Hyung."

"And owl feathers."

" _Hyunggg._ "

"Okay, he _totally_ drenched it in ink. And owl feathers."

"You know you're not being any help here, right?"

Yeonjun glances once more over the field, just in time to catch Huening Kai lace a hand around Soobin's nape and laugh gleefully. He looks innocent, painfully so; as he tugs the senior down, their foreheads touch, faces close, and that expression on Soobin's face- all curved eyes and cute dimples and squeaky laughter- looking the most adorable _ever_ -

_'What the heck, human? Are we fraternising with the enemy here?'_

Yeonjun forces himself to look away.

"Look, Beomgyu," he sighs, heavier and with more purpose. "I think we both should just accept our situations and move on. Try to make it work. We're stuck with people we'd rather not be partners with, it's a messy situation, but it's only for a while. We just have to... adjust. A bit. You _know_ that."

Beomgyu huffs. He looks over to his right, where Yeonjun knows Kang Taehyun stands waiting near Cabin E, a usual blank look on his face. Beomgyu's brows furrow deeper.

Eventually though, he just sighs, shoulders drooping. Yeonjun attempts to give him a half-smile; it mostly works.

"We gotta give it to them though," his friend says when they finally get going, walking towards their respective camp abodes. " _Follow your heart._ That's like the cheesiest, most dramatic opening speech one could ever give at camp. An _educational_ camp, no less. Just- totally _weird_."

Yeonjun glances back over his shoulder, right in time to see _his_ partner nearing Cabin C with a nervous look on his face. "Yeah," he says, voice flat. "It's weird."

He really, _really_ hopes his spirit does not catch onto the way his heart flutters wildly in his chest.

**-**

  


"U-um, hello," the tall, dark-haired boy bows respectfully to the fellow residents of their cabin. "I'm- my name is Choi Soobin, Music and Performance Arts major. It's very nice to meet you."

  


Yeonjun shifts on his toes, a hand on his backpack, having introduced himself just a moment ago. _Choi Yonjun, Music and Performance Arts major,_ he'd went, carefully avoiding Soobin's gaze. _It's nice to meet you all_.

 **(** Maybe that was the most basic kind of introduction, ever. Maybe it was a coincidence; or maybe, all students belonging to the Music and Performance Arts faculties had a similar way of introducing themselves to a new crowd. Yeonjun wasn't thinking, he wasn't. **)**

"Oh, both of you share the same classes," the handsome, lean-limbed man who appeared to be a senior had a wide, boxy grin on his face. He looked curiously between Soobin and Yeonjun, eyes twinkling behind a shade of curly black hair. "Are you guys friends?"

"Nope," Yeonjun answers, a little too fast, disregarding the quiet glance Soobin throws at him. "We met each other just today. We're... we're..."

"You're partners?" the handsome man blinks; then grins wider. "Well, that's cool! Best of luck." As if remembering himself, he extends a hand towards Yeonjun to shake, then at Soobin. "Oh, by the way, I'm Kim Taehyung, I'm an Instructor here. I'll be sharing this cabin with you, along with one of my colleagues, Jeon Jungguk. Each of the cabins here are designed to contain four people- some students, and at least one or two Instructors. I hope you don't mind."

Yeonjun shakes his head to the side; then stops upon realising that he mirrored Soobin.

Instructor Kim Taehyung stares at them for a moment, a hand on his waist. "You know," he says, smiling amusedly, "For a couple of newcomers, both of you seem quite well-behaved. We're assigned to this cabin almost every year, and the things kids do in three week' time..." he shakes his head, smiling still. "Let's see what the two of you do this Summer."

There's the noise of a ruckus outside, and like a breeze, Kim Taehyung bypasses both of them and heads out of the cabin. "Make yourselves comfortable!" he says before disappearing out of the door, leaving the confused students standing alone in the room.

Yeonjun sighs. _Can't avoid him forever._ He looks up to catch Soobin's gaze, only to find his partner already staring back at him.

 **(** _My partner_ , he thinks, ears growing hot. _How insane._ **)**

"Um," the taller guy speaks, shoulders hiking up. "Hello, I'm-" his fair face nervously scrunches up, lips between teeth. "You know me, I guess... I'm Choi Soobin, and- it's nice to be partners with you."

 _'You wish,'_ Yeonjun's spirit growls balefully, unheard to the world. _'This is a terrific nightmare. Stay away from us, Rabbit. Or we'll eat you up.'_

 _'Behave,'_ Yeonjun throws back in warning, tuning out the voice. He attempts a half-smile, and hopes that it doesn't look too forced. "Hi... I'm Yeonjun. Choi Yeonjun. And yeah, looking forward to being partners with you too, Soobin-ssi."

Choi Soobin's brows lift, a little. Shyly, he gives Yeonjun a small smile in return.

 **(** Yeonjun doubts his spirit wouldn't notice how his heart almost _bursts_ at that look. Surprisingly, the Fox is oblivious. **)**

"Let's unpack our things, shall we?" he says, too quickly again, stepping to the side and looking around. Like all other cabins, Cabin C was built entirely out of wood and bamboo, a seemingly tiny-looking yet rather impressive residence. There is one spacious room inside, a small bathroom, with two bunk-beds built on either side of the walls. The ones to the right are filled with stacked clothes and food packets; Yeonjun assumes they belong to the instructors, so he turns to the left ones, instinctively pushing his backpack onto the bed above.

"Oh, you're taking top bunk?" he freezes mid-way at Soobin's voice, gulping hard.

He turns, smiling awkwardly. "Yeah, kind of... Why, do you want it? I can take the lower one, if you want."

"No, no, it's fine," Soobin says, smiling cutely, brown eyes crinkling. Oh, and his _dimples_ \- "I just- can I put one of my bags at one side of your bunk? I've got quite a few, so if you don't mind..."

"Sure," Yeonjun replies, lightning-fast, as his spirit lists in his head _1001 reasons_ why they _Should Not Help a Rabbit._ "No problem. Put them right in."

**-**

  


And so, Choi Yeonjun's three-week stay at the _educational_ Summer Camp brightly begins.

  


_'Okay, who the fuck are you trying to kid, human?'_ his spirit growls sleepily in his ears. _'I'm the only one stuck inside your head, and it sure as well sucks for me.'_

Laying flat on his upper bunk-bed, the door closed and the lights dimmed, Yeonjun facepalms loudly in the darkness. He's half-afraid someone might wake up at the noise, but the soft snores coming from his cabinmates put his fears to rest.

Just below him, Choi Soobin sleeps quietly, lips drawn adorably in a pout. Yeonjun cannot see him, but he already knows how he looks when he sleeps.

 **(** Which isn't some kind of creepy, stalker-ish behavior. Nope, not creepy at all.

Choi Yeonjun wants to kill himself- or at least dig a hole and bury himself underground- for the shame of realising he knows _exactly_ how Choi Soobin looks when he sleeps. **)**

_'When are **we** going to sleep, human? Are we doin' a Stay Awake competition with ourselves?'_

Yeonjun groans. From tomorrow, he and Soobin were going to be participating in various camp activities, as _partners_. How could he ever get any sleep, knowing full well how _insane_ things were going to be first thing in the morning?

His spirit whines loudly in his head, again. "Let's just sleep," he sighs, turning in his covers and screwing his eyes shut. Sleep, as he realises hours later, proves to be quite a difficult feat to achieve.

**-**

  


"Hyunnggg, do you know I couldn't sleep even a wink last night? Not even a _wink_!"

  


Yeonjun blinks. He had expected to face several things after freshening up and stepping out of his cabin around six in the morning- but the sight of one Huening Kai wrapping his arms around Soobin's waist and whining at the top of his voice was not what he had expected. Not at all. 

_How unexpected._

"Ning Ning," Soobin gently pries the kid off himself, only to be attacked again. "Hey- did you forget to put on your earmuffs again?"

"No. Last night I used _double_ earmuffs," the kid buries his face into Soobin's neck, who lets out an amused huff. "I even used those woollen ones, with cat-ears and an extra-tight grip. But they just wouldn't _work_!"

"Why, what happened?"

"My _roommates_ ," the kid looks up with a shell-shocked, eerily hollow look on his face, just as Yeonjun spots Beomgyu in the distance, racing towards their cabin in a full-speed sprint. His face looked scrunched, eyes blood-shot; excitedly, Huening Kai jumps on his feet as he says, "My roommates, hyung! I can't live with them, I _can't_ -"

" _Hyunngggg_ ," Yeonjun groans as he gets attacked with an armful of Bear, attracting the attention of both their partners. "Hyung," Beomgyu pants, urgently vibrating on the spot. "Hyung, I cannot, absolutely cannot-"

"Beomgyu-ssi!" Huening Kai squeaks.

"I leave. I quit. I absolutely _cannot_ live with that squirrel." The younger boy wipes a river of sweat from his brow, breathing harshly. "I can handle the kid, he's cool. But that squirrel- Kang _freaking_ Taehyun, I can't-"

Yeonjun looks over his shoulder to find Soobin staring at them with wide eyes. Huening Kai seems to crumple at the sight of his roommate, drawing himself closer to Soobin. Instinctively, Yeonjun feels something vicious churn in his stomach.

"Beomgyu," he begins, fists clenching. "Look, you-"

"He sleeps with his _eyes open_!" Beomgyu bursts, voice ringing across the compound. A flock of birds fly away from the trees surrounding them, chirping wildly. "He sleeps with his eyes _open_ , hyung- who does that?!! I stepped outta the bathroom and saw him in the dark- it almost gave me a heart attack! He's rude and weird and _constantly_ gets on my nerves-" he seethes, canines clashing against each other. "I _can't_ live with him, hyung, I can't. I couldn't get any sleep last night- I wanna go home. I'm not staying here a minute longer."

"Hey-" Yeonjun begins, but is cut off with a small tap on his shoulder. 

"Yeonjun-ssi," Soobin meekly says, trying hard to fend off a human-sized koala himself. "Sorry, but we'll be late for the Meet."

"Yeah. _Yeah_ ," the blue-haired boy turns to Beomgyu, who scrunches up his face in pained realisation. "Gyu, we gotta go. All of us."

"Don't wanna," he says, sulking, but lets Yeonjun go anyways. "Don't wanna, hyung. I don't wanna stay here any longer."

_'I agree. Let's run away.'_

_'No way. Shut up,'_ Yeonjun shushes the Fox immediately. He ruffles the younger boy's hair, sighing at the pinched look on his face. "Look, I'm sorry Gyu, but you know we can't just leave. It's only the first night- give yourselves some time to adjust, will you?"

Beomgyu stares at him with a blank look, then abruptly takes off, sprinting in the direction of the gradually crowding Announcement Rock. Yeonjun makes to follow, slowly, giving his friend some time to cool his head. He feels his temper rise when he sees Huening Kai still wrapped around Soobin's arm, conversing in lowered voices; then instantly reminds himself that he had no reason to get angry. None at all.

"You know, Beomgyu-ssi kinda talks in his sleep too," the freshman whispers to Soobin, quiet but audible enough for Yeonjun. "Taehyun-ssi woke up multiple times in the night because of that, and got irritated. They kept on arguing for _hours_ \- I couldn't sleep a wink, but it turns out our Instructor roommate can sleep amidst all that noise without earmuffs, too. He's _really_ cool."

 _'This team has got some serious problems,'_ Yeonjun says to his spirit, who for once agrees to what he has to say. _'I just hope Soobin and I won't have these kinds of troubles between us.'_

 _'Just wait and see, human,'_ his spirit's voice rings low, ominous. _'Just wait and watch. Preys and Predators can never work together- that's the rule. That's how Nature works. We're officially doomed.'_

Shoulders slumping, Yeonjun lets out a heavy, world-weary sigh. This was going to be a complicated Summer, he can just feel it.

**-**

  


**_First Week:_** _Day 1._ Begins.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And.. I hope that was enjoyable. Kudos and bookmarks are very, very appreciated, and comments just inspire me to write more and more! Have a great day/night everyone, bye bye! :))


	2. A Taste of Camp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back, with a brand new chapter! I know I'm very late, but I still hope you all enjoy this. Happy reading! :DD

  


_'Okay, okay, calm down. What're you being so nervous about?'_

  


_'Don't you get it?'_ he mentally exclaims, extricating himself off the junior ( _finally_ ) and coming to stand beside his partner. The Instructors were busy handing something out to the gathered students, so he doubts his overall nervous demeanour would at all be noticed. _'We're partners! We're going to do those activities together- as partners. Us, with Choi Yeonjun! Don't you get it?'_

_'I still don't get what's the big fuss about this,'_ his spirit wonders lazily in his head. _'From where I see it, we might as well be in big, big trouble.'_

 _'That's nonsense,'_ Choi Soobin replies, following Yeonjun when the blue-haired guy walks forward to get in line for the hand-outs. _'I'm just- really nervous. I hope I don't make a fool out of myself. Or end up having him hate me. That'd be the worst.'_

_'You're right, Predators hating you is never a good thing. Good point there.'_

_'Way to miss the entire point,'_ Soobin rolls his eyes, but quickly smiles when Yeonjun returns with his hands full and a question in his gaze. "Hey, I think they've got something for us," he says, handing Soobin a bunched, two-page catalogue. "It's like a list of our duties and things, and a timetable of our stay. What do you say about equally dividing the work?"

Soobin looks down, at the catalogues, noticing the _K-Camp: First week Missions and Schedule, Cabin C_ written in a bold, cursive print. "Sure," he nods, prompting Choi Yeonjun to give him a small, awkward smile. 

"Remember kids, the MISSION COMES FIRST," Instructor Jung Hoseok yells from somewhere amidst the crowd. "WHATEVER HAPPENS, YOU GOTTA FINISH YOUR MISSION. MAKE THAT TOP PRIORITY."

 _'Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'_ his spirit wonders dully, and Soobin agrees. _God_ , he really hopes this activity goes well.

**-**

  


_'Okay, remind me why we're doing this again?'_

  


Yeonjun huffs, legs aching. He clenches a hand around the sturdy branch, and slowly pulls himself up.

_'Human, I asked you a question.'_

_'And I answered it the last time you asked._ ' In one strong motion, Yeonjun's standing erect and finally on top of the thick, sturdy log trapped between the bases of two large, towering trees. He takes in a deep breath, stretches his neck side-to-side. _'Look, I told you, it's our first mission. We gotta eat, and to eat, we have to cook food first.'_

 _'So what the heck are we doin' out in this wild-ass forest?'_ his spirit pesters still, relentlessly demanding. _'I'm hungry, I hate forests. Let's go back.'_

_'What the- you know we can't, I still have to-'_

_"Nooo, I don't care, let's go back. I'm hungry- please, let's go.'_

Running a hand through sweat-sluiced hair, Yeonjun sighs. _'You're being purposefully difficult, aren't you?'_ Bending over his stomach, he looks around the mud and grass to see if he could find anything useful. Standing on top of the log gave him a better, elevated view of his wild surroundings. _'You know we gotta cook our own meals today, right? And to cook, we need fire. And wood. Our mission is to gather enough fire-wood to last us till dinner, or we fail. And I don't want to fail something on our very first day here.'_

_'Why can't we just use magic then? We're all accomplished mages here, are we not?'_

_'Yes, we are. But we can't use magic, because that's against the rule.'_ He gives himself a mental pat on the back when he finds another dry stick among the grass to add to his already considerable pile. _'They took our wands away for that very reason. Apparently, it's so that we can learn how to do things the normal way once in a while. Get to learn about the essence of team bonding and human effort, or somethin'. Now let me work.'_

_'Oh, such bullshit.'_ Yeonjun had hoped he could continue with his search peacefully, but coupled with an unreasonable spirit and his own growing hunger, _that_ seemed like an impossible prospect now. _'Why're we the only ones stuck with collecting wood? Why can't we start the fire, or cook, or just eat, or-'_

_'One more word, and I swear I'll jinx you with a Silencer.'_ Yeonjun's limbs were already spent, and he could _not_ handle this spectacular amount of noise on top of everything else. He flings his latest find into the large bundle of dry sticks that lay bunched at the ground below the log. _'I mean it. You may be inside my head, but I will most definitely do that.'_

 _'I'm just hungry,'_ the Fox whines petulantly. _'Deny it, human. Prove me wrong. Tell me that you're not absolutely **famished**.'_

_'Oh, why you-'_

"Yeonjun-ssi!"

Startled, Yeonjun looks down. In the distance below, scrambling through the trees and shadows of the sloped forest, Soobin's tall form waves up at him awkwardly. On one hand he barely holds together a good bunch of fire-wood, and Yeonjun's sharp eyes pick out the dry mud and few scratches clinging stubbornly to fair skin. There were leaves stuck in his hair, his clothes visibly crumpled- but the dark-haired boy looks up at him with wide eyes, beaming happily, and instantly, Yeonjun feels himself going soft all over.

Oh, this was _unfair_. Why did his partner have to make it so difficult for Yeonjun to avoid catching feelings?

 **(** Not that he _had_ caught any, but still. **)**

_'Oh, look- a bunny. Let's catch him and eat it.'_

Yeonjun groans. He was utterly, terribly _famished_ , and the rabid, unfiltered voice in his head certainly wasn't helping.

" _Hey_ ," he shouts down instead, feeling light-headed when the Rabbit excitedly smiles. "Soobin, you alright? I can see you collected quite a lot."

"I'm good, how're you?" Soobin shouts, soft voice echoing loudly among the trees. "What're you doing up there? You might fall down."

"I'm fine," Yeonjun says, enunciating the statement with a bright thumbs-up. "Just, wait a sec- I'll come down in a minute."

With as much caution as possible, the blue-haired boy bends and slides down the log, clambering onto level ground again. It's a difficult, painstaking process; he's already quite distracted by the whining in his head, added with the sight of Soobin once tripping over his feet and almost falling face-first into the ground, all of his preciously gathered loot flying out of his hands. It's nothing a little magic cannot fix, but is a pain all the same. Or maybe the hunger was making Yeonjun cranky.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Soobin quickly says, limbs flailing, when Yeonjun opens his mouth to speak. "Don't worry about me. Just- come down safely."

The blue-haired boy, in reply, throws him another quick thumbs-up.

  


**(** Strangely enough, unlike before, conversing with Soobin felt pretty easy right now. Maybe it was because they were a few metres apart, or the fact that they were stuck in a wood, or the tragedy which was Yeonjun feeling particularly _ravenous_ for breakfast. Whatever it was, he hoped it lingered around for a bit; because talking with his partner at the moment felt easier than ever before, pretty relaxing, and actually quite enjoyable. He was very extra-sure it'd wear off by evening, if not sooner, and that they'd go back to being their awkward and nervous selves around each other- but right now, he was determined to enjoy it, for as long as he could.

All awkwardness and stupid spirit conventions aside, Yeonjun really hoped Soobin liked their interactions too. Or at the very least, didn't _hate_ them. That was important. **)**

  


"Honestly, this is ridiculous," he says, lips twisting into a frown, as he and Soobin start trudging back towards camp five minutes later. "It's seven in the morning, I'm hungry, and we're stuck in a weird forest collecting wood for a breakfast that isn't even ready." He sighs when his spirit screams in his head something unintelligible. "Beomgyu was right. This really is the _worst_ camp in the world."

"I agree," Soobin says, chin obscured under the pile of branches he cutely hugged in his arms. "I mean, this is my first camp ever, but my spirit says this is _not_ how camp activities are supposed to go."

"Try _educational_ camp activities," Yeonjun huffs, as a bird coos sweetly above their heads. "I'm pretty sure we're supposed to be studying and learning more about magic here, but clearly the Coordinators mean something different when they say _'educational'_."

Soobin chuckles, a bright, tired sound. He stays quiet for a moment, like Yeonjun, then says, "By the way, Yeonjun-ssi."

"Yeah?" Yeonjun hums. When he's not stuck climbing slopes and gathering wood, the leafy, silvery trees do look quite picturesque. "What is it?"

"Uh, I'm sorry... But are you sure we're walking in the right direction?"

Instantly, Yeonjun stops, halting mid-step. Turning his head, he critically looks around the place, scanning- but all he can see are trees. Trees and trees. Tall, misty, picturesque, eerily _similar_ trees. There's no difference between them, at least none that he can spot. Beside him, Soobin glances searchingly over the distance too, plush lips bent into a cute, upset pout (Yeonjun isn't looking, he _isn't_ ). There's nothing remarkable in their surroundings, nothing they could use as a landmark; there's no big stone, or a muddy animal trail, or a bare-branched, ancient tree towering sixty metres into the sky-

There is, however, one big, sad log lying stuck in the middle of two large, shadowy evergreens.

"Um..." Soobin's voice trails off. "Um, isn't that...?"

Yeonjun stares fixedly at the log, mouth agape. It really was a _very familiar_ log.

"No- no way. We came back right from where we _started_."

"Oh," Soobin says, voice simple and flat. " _Oh._ We've been walking around in circles. That means... That means we're lost, aren't we?"

 _'Wait, we're lost?!'_ Yeonjun cannot, absolutely _cannot_ stand the whining in his head any longer, but this time it's actually justified. _'Oh no- oh no no. I'm hungry, I'm tired. I need breakfast, not your stupidity, human. How the heck did we even get lost?'_

 _'You're under the impression that I have an idea,'_ Yeonjun seethes, feeling a breath away from tearing at his hair in frustration. _'Well newsflash: I don't. Please, if you can't help, then for once in your life- shut up.'_

"Oh, we're _lost_ ," Soobin says, again, and this time sounds like he actually registers it. Slowly, he buries his face into his hands full of branches, groaning loudly. "Oh- _oh no_. We can't be lost. Not here. Not before _breakfast_."

Yeonjun's shoulders slump in defeat. It wasn't even a few hours into the first day, and already they were lost. In a forest. At seven in the morning. While collecting wood.

_Before breakfast._

His stomach takes this as a cue to rumble loudly. Oh, he can just _feel_ how bad the rest of the week was going to be already.

**-**

  


'OH MY- OH MY GOD- PLEASE DON'T EAT ME! I SWEAR I'M NOT TASTY, PLEASE DON'T-"

  


Yeonjun confusedly blinks. "Uh.. Kai? Huening Kai?"

"NOOOOO-" the younger boy only wails louder, bending over his knees and face hitting the floor, body tightly-knit and shivering. A large, wooden pail lies abandoned at his side, a trickle of water seeping slowly into the soil. "OH MY GOD, I'M SORRY, 'M SO SORRY. HAVE MERCY, PLEASE DON'T EAT ME-"

"Hey, Kai," Yeonjun pokes at the boy with a dry stick, wondering what to do; sighing when the other only squeaks and yelps and hugs himself tighter. " _Oh Gods_ \- Huening Kai, _stop_. It's me, Choi Yeonjun. I dunno if you know me or not, but, uh- I'm _not_ going to eat you up. Totally. Just- calm down."

Abruptly, the brown-haired boy stills. Slowly, _slowly_ , he picks his face up from his hands, staring at Yeonjun with wide, frightened eyes.

"Uh... um.." Huening Kai says, looking almost as surprised as Yeonjun himself. The blue-haired boy awkwardly blinks back at him. "You're.. you're.. Beomgyu-hyung's friend?"

"Yup. The one and only," Yeonjun nods, attempting a half-smile. It kind-of works. "But- what happened to _you_? What did you even think I was?"

"A bear," the kid instantly replies. "I thought you were a _bear_. I saw a shadow... Thank god I wasn't right."

"Yeah.." Yeonjun says uncertainly. Stiffly scratching his cheek, he eyes the younger with a small frown, asking, "But anyways- what exactly are you doing _here_? Where's your group? Did you guys get separated?"

"No, we didn't." The kid perks up immediately, smiling wide. "I didn't get lost, my hyungs are right there-" he points readily at the thick of trees behind, then blinks. "Uh, what the-"

Grin vanishing, with a jolt, Huening Kai scrambles up to his feet. Yeonjun stares blankly from his place in the grass as the kid frantically looks here and there, thoroughly confused. "Uh, hyung?" he calls out, into the forest, with obviously no answer. "Beomgyu-hyung? Taehyun-hyung?" he tries again, sounding worried and vaguely distraught. "What the- they were _here_! Right here! I swear- we were told to collect water from the Lake, how did they just-"

 _'Oh wow,'_ the Fox quips dully in his head. _'Another lost boy. Let's open a club already.'_

Opting to ignore his grumbling spirit, Yeonjun quickly straightens. "Wait, you guys were at the _Lake_?" His slightly muddy face pinches into a frown. "That's like, all the way in the opposite direction. How did you even get here?"

" _I don't know_!" Huening Kai exclaims, then somewhat lowers his voice, head bowing. "I mean- I'm sorry, I just don't know! We were all by the lake, taking turns to collect water. We had five pails between us-" he points down to the wooden container lying upside-down on the mud- "and, uh, we were playing rock-paper-scissors to see who would carry the most. Something happened, and Beomgyu-hyung and Taehyun-hyung started arguing. Then there was this mist, and the trees became... cloudy. I called out to them, but suddenly I saw a _bear_ , and-"

"Mist?" Yeonjun repeats, the single element in the story that confused him the most. "It's still Summer, and light out. How did you-"

"Mist. There was a mist," the younger boy insists, fists clenched, vibrating on his toes. He opens his mouth to say something- then abruptly stills. "Oh, look. It was _that_ kind of mist."

The twig in his hand snaps as Yeonjun scrambles from the grass and stands up. A white, smoky trail of fog was creeping into the clearing, slowly obscuring their surroundings. The sunlight streaming through the leaves suddenly darkens, the temperature dropping down to a chill. Yeonjun curses as he almost trips over his feet, eyes widening. _What the hell-?_ Behind him, he hears Huening Kai let out a small squeak, jumpy and frightened- and the noise reminds him of Soobin's elated laughter, the kind which sounded like a cross between a yapping seal and a dolphin.

Instantly, Yeonjun's stomach flips. _Soobin_. He'd left Soobin back in that place.

"We gotta go," he says, blindly grabbing a hold of Kai's sleeve and leaping forward. "We gotta go, something's not right. Soobin- he's-"

The silvery mist clouds up the clearing before he can finish his sentence. Suddenly, Yeonjun can see nothing. Nothing at all.

_'Oh God- Soobin. Please- run away. Don't stay there, don't wait for me. Please, please-pleas-'_

**-**

  


_'Oh, he's late.'_

  


His spirit grumbles lazily in reply, as Soobin pokes distractedly at their amassed bundle of wood, equal parts anxious and bored. It has been around ten minutes; ten minutes since his partner Choi Yeonjun wandered into the lighter parts of the wood, claiming that he was going to die of hunger before a wild animal made its move on them. He had gone in the hopes of bringing something back- something nourishing, maybe enough to sate their stomachs- but Soobin would now give anything to see Yeonjun come back with _himself_ , their food and ravenous hunger be damned.

' _It's been ten minutes,_ ' he wonders idly, repetitively. ' _I hope he didn't get stuck on a tree. Or encountered a wild animal. It has been ten whole minutes._ '

' _Contrary to what you might think, I do know how to track the time,_ ' the Rabbit admonishes him in its usual sleepy manner. ' _Trust me, Soobin, it's a good thing we're not interacting with that Predator any more than we should be. You should count our blessings._ '

' _Please, he might be in some sort of danger,_ ' the boy thinks, and really hopes it doesn't come true. _'I'm worried about him.'_ He pokes once more at the bundle of wood; then for the sake of continuing the conversation, says, _'And you know I don't believe in those Prey-Predator distinctions, right? They were all in the past, people don't care about that anymore.'_ He stops, then reconsiders. _'At least, they shouldn't anymore.'_

' _Whatever. One day you'll realise why those rules were made. And how right they were. Lemme sleep now._ '

In a bid to distract himself, the tall guy brings out the neatly-folded Cabin C Schedule from his pocket, looking it over. He rereads their First Mission written in bold, colourful print, scanning the words _Collect enough wood to cook your own meals till dinner_ for the umpteenth time. It's quite a hard mission, he supposes; he's never cooked with wood before, and could only rely on estimates regarding the required quantity. What bothers him more though, is what the General Coordinator had said to them right before departing. They were important words, he guesses; but cryptic all the same.

 **(** _"REMEMBER, YOUR MISSION COMES FIRST."_ Even now, Soobin doesn't know how the man could even shout like that without a magical loudspeaker. _"WHATEVER HAPPENS, DO NOT ABANDON YOUR MISSION. THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT."_ **)**

Does getting lost in the woods count as abandoning the mission? Maybe, maybe not. Unconsciously, Soobin inches closer to the wood, hoping his partner would return soon.

Suddenly, he feels his eyes droop, stomach rumbling. He was just so _hungry._

_'Oi, Soobin- look. What's that?'_

Soobin blinks. When had he fallen asleep? And- where the _hell_ was he? He had been lounging on a mossy rock in the middle of the trees, but now.. now there were no trees. He couldn't see anything; nothing beyond silver smoke and dewy fog, curling up the stems and leaves and clouding the area. He jolts up from his place, startled- and almost, _almost_ screams as he turns to look behind.

Footsteps. Someone was nearing the clearing. Perhaps someone like his partner, Choi Yeonjun.

But the massive shadow falling against the misty screen depicted nothing but vicious claws and a blood-thirsty gaze. 

_Shit._ It- it almost looked like a-

_'Predator. Run.'_

__

His instincts scream in his head as Soobin grabs hold of a stick and runs. He runs and runs, never looks back. He doesn't look back to notice the pile of wood he leaves behind, abandoned on the forest floor. Doesn't look back when the looming shadow finally crawls out of the mist. Doesn't look back, not in time to see a completely harmless human set foot within the clearing, glancing around the place in abject confusion.

"Huh?" Crimson-haired and bewildered, Kang Taehyun stares at his surroundings with a blank look on his face. "...Where's the Lake? And where did those ducks go?"

Overhead, hidden among the leaves, a small blackbird coos a bright, elated melody.

**-**

  


"Hyung, let's check the time now, shall we?"

  


Back at the central compounds of K-Camp, a tall and auburn-haired Jung Hoseok glances down anxiously to his watch. "Okay.." he says, brows pinched, a frown on his lips. "According to my watch, they've got exactly twenty minutes left."

"Twenty?" The short, silver-haired guy beside him leans in to peek at the time. "Oh, you're right! We gotta start preparing to receive them."

"Yeah," the General Coordinator says, looking straight in the direction of the lake and hill-forests that were slowly clouding up with white, translucent smoke. The frown on his lips turns up into a wide, relaxed grin then, shoulders loosening. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go."

"You know, it's weird how this never gets old," his silver-haired colleague remarks with a sweet, serene smile as they begin walking. "The faces of the kids when we reveal our trick- it gets to me _every single time_."

"Agreed," Hoseok says, glancing down to his watch again. "Eighteen minutes to go now. Let's hurry up."

**-**

  


"Oh wow, this is ridiculous. I can't believe we got lost- _again_."

  


"Did you get lost _before_ this, too?" Huening Kai timidly speaks, a step behind him. "I thought you got partnered with Soobinie-hyung. What happened?"

"Don't ask," Yeonjun says, fighting a losing battle with himself in trying not to scowl. "Damn it, I'd left him here. Just _here_. Where the heck did that place _go_?"

Carving a way out of the fog had been difficult, but after a lifetime's worth of guessing and struggling, they had finally managed to outrun it. Somewhat. Yeonjun's first priority was to reconcile with his partner- but that was rather difficult to do if the whole place he'd left Soobin at simply disappeared. He's kind of annoyed and distraught and very fucking _hungry_ \- the combination of which finally makes him realise how unsettling it must've been for Kai to get lost, too.

"I'm sorry," he says to the kid, looking around in vain. "You were lost already, but I dragged you with me and got us lost a second time. I'm-"

"Please don't worry about it," Kai says, advancing a step so that he's walking right beside the older. "None of us have a complete map of this place, so we were bound to get lost. And I'd have come with you even if you didn't drag me- we still need to find Soobinie-hyung."

 _Soobinie-hyung, huh?_ Yeonjun thinks, glad his fitfully asleep spirit wouldn't catch onto his thoughts for a while. _What a close relationship._

"You... and Soobin," he starts, trudging slowly and having nothing better to do (or so he tells himself). "You guys have known each other for quite a while, haven't you?"

"Yes," Huening Kai says, and a small, cute grin breaks out on his lips. "We've known each other since I joined Uni, so- maybe like a year? It's not _very_ long, but it's been a while, and I really, really like him. He's a very good hyung."

 _Of course he is,_ Yeonjun simply nods, without commenting. _You've been joined at each other's hip since the first time I saw him._

There is some silence for a moment, broken only by the sound of snapping twigs, after which Huening Kai says- "Knowing Soobinie-hyung, he must've been really happy being partners with you. Right, Yeonjun-ssi?"

"Huh?" Yeonjun's steps falter. "Wha- why do you say that?"

"Because you're so _cool_! And he's _so_ lucky!" The younger turns to face him with wide, sparkling eyes, and for a moment the cuteness of the boy is too much for Yeonjun to handle. "You're- you're Choi Yeonjun-ssi, the legendary idol of our Uni! You're a star in your major, and you've won several awards and competitions, and you're _great_ with magic as well! Every single student in the campus knows about and admires you- including me and Soobinie-hyung! So I'm guessing.. he must've been pretty excited, right?"

"Uh." For one single, harrowing moment, all Yeonjun can think of is their first, second, and even third intensely _awkward_ conversations. "Uh... I guess..?"

Huening Kai sneaks one look at his face, and his expression blanks out. "Oh.. he didn't tell you, did he?" He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. His expression looks like a cross between acute exasperation and incredible fondness. "Uh, I'm sorry. The first thing you gotta know about hyung is that he's... really shy. Painfully so. He'll think about a lot of things but say nothing, so... um. I hope you understand. He _really_ likes you. Everybody does."

"..Thank you," Yeonjun says, having no idea how to respond, and maybe to distract himself from the wild fluttering in his chest. He knows a lot about Soobin, a lot- _how_ he knows that though isn't anyone's business- but it's good to hear about him from an obviously closer, more intimate source. It's a pain that said source is the exact reason he's been antsy and anxious since the day before; but at least the kid is cute, and well-mannered, so he'll take what he can get and-

"Oh no," Huening Kai says, urgently pointing towards the distance. "There's that mist again. Yeonjun-ssi-"

"Let's run," Yeonjun says; and though the image of a lost, confused Soobin remains ingrained in his mind, the blue-haired boy grabs a hold of the kid and runs. There's nothing else to be done, really nothing; something weird was happening around this place, with all of them, and he has no idea how to unravel it.

 _Gods, Soobin,_ he thinks, one last time. _Please be safe. Please, please-pleas-_

**-**

  


"One, two, three."

  


"And here it goes," the short, silver-haired man swishes a wand high in the air, as a jet of smoky sparkles burst forth into the sky. A trail of white mist curves shyly around his elbow, retreating back to its master, and he smiles. "There. We got it."

"And right on time," Jung Hoseok says, looking down to his watch, grinning as bright as the Sun. "Now all we gotta do is wait for them to return."

**-**

  


The Sun blazed quite high in the sky when the silvery mist slowly rises up from the surroundings, and things start to look clearer again. In ten minutes time, one by one, a line of lost students trail slowly down the slope and finally reach the outskirts of the camp compound, looking confused but relieved beyond belief. They all looked worse-for-wear, a crowd of mud-stained cheeks and crumpled clothes and famished stomachs, a number of cracked spectacles flashing here and there. The layered, overlapping feelings are palpable in the air, a thousand doubts raving to be answered- but the General Coordinator asks them all to wait for everyone's return, silently eyeing the young crowd now abuzz with questions.

At one side of the first row, Yeonjun stands with a frowning, befuddled look on his face. They had kept on running and running, through the rocks and trees and leaves- when suddenly, like magic, the mist had lifted, and instantly they'd managed to find their way back to the camp. Huening Kai stands beside him with a nervous expression, teeth clamped over his bottom lip. They were waiting for the others to return, huddling together- but the blue-haired boy could only last so long before the hunger got to him and he just _ate_ someone up.

"Um, excuse me," a fair-faced girl, with ruffled pink braids, raises a hand in the air. "Please, Sir- could you tell us what exactly is going on here?"

"Just wait for a bit, student," General Coordinator Jung Hoseok says, smiling secretively. "Let all your friends first return."

"Damnit- where the hell _is_ Soobin?" Yeonjun looks worriedly around the crowd, trying to spot a six-foot-something Rabbit but to no avail. "It's been fifteen minutes, what is he-"

"Ah!" Huening Kai suddenly exclaims, taking off and barelling his way to the back of the crowd. "Taehyun-hyung! And-"

" _Soobin_!" Yeonjun shouts, pushing at the students and nearing the stumbling, tired duo as well. Both of them looked haggard, tired, dead on their feet- crimson-haired Taehyun had an arm looped around Soobin's neck, while the taller boy holds him up with a hand around his back. Both of them were eyeing the crowd with a pensive look on their faces; but when two grown, excited individuals suddenly jump in and drag them into a big, sweaty hug, their bodies decide to let loose immediately. 

" _God_ , you came back," Yeonjun pulls away from the hug to help Soobin extricate himself from the younger. "You- we've been waiting for you for _so long_. Where the hell where you, and-" he glances at a tired, blank-faced Taehyun, whom Huening Kai approaches with a nervous but kind glint in his eyes, "what in the world _happened_?"

"It's a long story," his partner shrugs, and somehow he has the audacity to cutely, sheepishly _smile_. Oh, Yeonjun's poor, weak heart. "There were a lot of ducks involved. Sorry for making you guys worry, I'll- I'll tell you later?"

"You better," Yeonjun says in what he hopes is a stern voice, as Soobin grins wider. Just then, the General Coordinator sweeps a gaze around the large-enough crowd, and says:

"Okay, seems like we've got all of you. Now please, everyone, SETTLE DOWN."

The blue-haired boy drags his partner at one side of the gathering, finding themselves a cosy patch in the grass to sit down. His stomach swims thick with hunger and something _else_ (he doesn't know what), throat dry- but all of that could wait when Soobin was tucked safely near him and they could finally have some answers. This camp was getting stranger and stranger by the minute, and there was no way all of this could've been a happy coincidence. Something must've been behind it- something undoubtedly sinister.

 **(** Right? _Right?_ **)**

Peeking behind the tall form of Jung Hoseok, a short, silver-haired guy- with chubby cheeks and crinkling eyes and tiny, _tiny_ hands- waves cheerfully at them. "Hello, everyone," he says, smiling brightly. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Park Jimin, and I was the secret Instructor who had been overlooking your first group activity in this camp."

"Why secret?" Someone in the crowd loudly asks, and Yeonjun nods curiously.

Instructor Park Jimin gives them a sweet, beautific smile. "Oh, that's because if you guys knew what to do, it wouldn't have been fun at all!" Before anyone else could interrupt him- and it looked like a _lot_ of people wanted to- he waves a hand over their heads and says, "By the way, did any of you complete the missions that had been given to you?"

A deep, unsettling silence greets the sudden question. One by one, everyone turns to their partners, whispering pensively, faces cringing, hands patting down their pockets while glancing sheepishly here and there. Yeonjun shares a small glance with Soobin, equally puzzled; but before he could ask something, he hears Huening Kai address his crimson-haired partner, saying: "Hyung, do you have at least _one_ pail of water on you?"

"No," Kang Taehyun says, eyes wide, expression unchanging. "I was busy trying to make friends with those ducks. I think I lost my pail somewhere around the forest."

As Huening Kai loudly groans, Soobin turns to look at Yeonjun with an apologetic expression on his face. "Yeonjun-ssi, I'm so _sorry_ ," he says, brows knitting. "I was supposed to guard our wood, but then the mist appeared, and there was a monstrous animal in the shadows, so I-"

"You guys saw the mist, too?" Yeonjun frowns confusedly. "What the hell. That was the reason Kai and I got lost in the first place."

Huening Kai leans over Soobin's shoulder to listen in to their conversation, as the restlessness in the crowd gradually starts to grow. "Okay, everyone- calm down," Park Jimin says, waving his tiny hands to placate the students into silence. He then gives them all a very mischievous smile. "So, was I right? _None_ of you succeeded in completing your missions, did you?"

"There was a mist!" Someone shouts fiercely in indignation- and belatedly Yeonjun realises it's him. "There was a mist- and there were dangerous animals too! We couldn't see a thing, and got lost!"

"Well, of course you did," the Instructor crosses his arms across his chest, voice suddenly bland. "The mist was there precisely to make you lose your way. _I_ was the one who cast it."

A heavy, resounding hush falls over the gathering.

"Now, let me explain," Park Jimin shares a meaningful look with Coordinator Jung Hoseok, then begins to speak. "This activity was designed to see how determined all of you were to pass your missions, without gaining anything. You remember what the Coordinator had said, right- about not abandoning your mission?" Besides him, Yeonjun sees Soobin give a small, nervous nod. "Well, I'm here to tell you that _all_ of you abandoned it. The mist, the shadows, you guys losing your way- it was all my magic, my doing. They were there as obstacles, to distract you from your goal and see how you could overcome it. And let me tell you- _every single one_ of you _failed_. Everybody."

The tired, mud-streaked crowd collectively winces. Yeonjun sighs as he feels his spirit stir awake; this was _precisely_ what he had wanted to avoid.

The Instructor looks far from finished though. "We didn't tell you this because we wanted to test your natural determination," he looks seriously at everyone in the crowd, "but now that the activity's over, let me tell you. Each of the missions that'll be given to you, contain five points each. Depending on how much and how efficiently you can finish it, together or individually, your groups will be given a point. And these points, at the end of the camp, shall be added and compared to declare the Best Group of this year's batch."

Instantly, Yeonjun straightens up. If they had _all_ failed this mission, did that mean-

"Since all of you failed this mission, none of your groups shall be getting any points."

Yeonjun groans. As do the twenty-something students sitting dejectedly in the crowd.

"This was just a taste of camp, ya'll," General Coordinator Jung Hoseok says, with an empathetic lilt. "And of life, too. Oftentimes we begin our steps from failure, especially if we have nothing to lose. But when the stakes are high," he comically wriggles his eyebrows, which draws out a chuckle from Soobin, "do you think you'll be able to succeed? Do you guys have it in you?"

A few students shout out in affirmation- as loudly as one can when they've gone hiking for over an hour without proper food. Yeonjun nods vehemently, ignoring the rumble in his stomach, very much determined not to fail the upcoming challenges.

Behind him, Kang Taehyun raises a hand up in the air.

"Yes?" Park Jimin looks in his direction. "Do you have any questions?"

"I think I do, yes," the crimson-haired boy nods, looking impassive as usual. "I think we left one of my groupmates behind at the Lake. Can anyone go pick him up?"

A third, uncanny hush falls over the crowd. Soobin's eyes go wide, Huening Kai looks stupefied, and Yeonjun finally, finally realises why he'd been having that unsettling feeling in his gut all this while. 

_Oh shit. Beomgyu._

_'Wow human, you're officially the worst friend in the world,'_ the Fox quips in his head, once again justified, as both the Instructors let out loud, panicked gasps. _'Can we go eat something now? I'm positively dying here.'_

  


Back in the forest, a few good miles away from camp, Choi Beomgyu opens his eyes, looks around, and realises he's lying upon the wet grass near the Lake all alone. "HEY, ANYBODY THERE?" he shouts at the top of his voice, glancing at the three full water-pails standing near him in confusion. "HEYYY, GUYS? KAI? TAEHYUN? WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

Belatedly, the memories of the events that had passed before he blacked out in the middle of the clearing comes rushing back to him. His blood boils instantly.

"OI, WHAT THE HELL YOU TWO?! JUST BECAUSE I LOST IN ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN ABANDON ME LIKE THIS! JUST WAIT, YOU-" With unusual strength, he picks up all three water pails at once- two in his hands and one on top of his head- and begins wobbling back. "JUST WAIT TILL I FIND YOU. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LEFT ME BEHIND LIKE THIS- YOU TRAITORS-"

  


At that precise moment, a hysterical crowd in the campus gets squabbling over trying to choose between a late breakfast and searching for a lost, missing friend. Regardless to say, it is pure, unhinged chaos.

Thus, Choi Yeonjun's first day at K-Camp very eventfully concludes.

**-**

  


**_First week:_** _Day 1._ Ends.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And.. get ready for more such shenanigans! Honestly, I had the second chapter all written-out and proof-read, but then at the last second I thought "Oh, this feels too boring," and cut down the ENTIRE chapter to write afresh. Updates might be pretty sporadic, but I'll try my best. Also, the comments on the last chapter motivated me sooo much- it's unbelievable! Thank you so much for giving this story a chance, I love you guys, really!! Please leave your thoughts on this chapter, they inspire me to continuously write more and more! (≧∀≦)ゞ
> 
> Also, can anybody guess what Huening Kai's spirit animal might be? I'd love to know your ideas! (✿◠‿◠)
> 
> Thank you yet again for reading, and I hope everyone has a wonderful day/night! Please take care everyone, and bye bye!! <333


	3. Prey and Predator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! (●ˇ∀ˇ●)

  


Around a hundred years ago, when babies started being born with noticeable horns or unusually sharp teeth, the world was in for the shock of the century. Literally.

  


Yeonjun has read about the Evolution Theory, the study which stated that humans evolved from apes; but the scientists a hundred years ago had been stuck trying to develop a second such theory, which could attest to the existence of such _special_ babies, and the _second voice_ in their head everyone from that generation claimed to be hearing. After a tedious, continuous research of nearly three decades, humans were able to collect enough data about this condition and conduct appropriate physiological and psychological experiments- the result of which came out as the brand new study of _Spiritology_.

It's not the greatest of names, as Beomgyu would claim; but the field of Spiritology had grown and evolved through the years, its subjects getting vast and being categorised, helping people in learning more about these evolved new humans. The voices in their heads were called _Avatars_ (more colloquially called _Spirits_ , hence the study's name), and on comparing the physical attributes, it could be verified that each such Avatar somewhat resembled the characteristics of an _animal_. The type, species, and nature of the animal varied from person to person; it could be a reflection of their nature, their budding personalities, or just a case of pure coincidence. Whatever it was though, it astounded scientists, piqued their interest- then gradually became quite normal in the years that followed. 

  


**(** On this note, it was commonly found that in the second generation of such humans, if two married people carried the same type of Spirit, their progeny would usually house the same animal characteristics as well. Thus came the concept of _Purebloods_ , which- though sounding quite regal- had absolutely no other significance than to imply that a person might've had a long line of ancestors housing the same type of Spirit.

That was the case with Yeonjun and Beomgyu, and mostly all of their friends. Pureblood marriages were traditionally considered the best- but times were changing, and mixed partners were now steadily on the rise.

Admittedly, the patterns in mixed families were harder to trace, and studies were still going on about it. Yeonjun just wishes he would graduate long before any of that gets added into his final, fourth-year curriculum. **)**

  


From what he'd learnt in those mandatory high-school courses, the exact reason for the existence of these Spirits was still unknown. _The nature of these Spirits,_ he had once read, _at least in Pureblood cases, is eerily similar to the nature of the various animals we see around us. Depending on their spirit, a person's physicality could be altered; furthermore, their strength, stamina, and reactionary abilities might also be heavily influenced. Spirit-holders often narrate how their spirits can internally communicate with them; based on this, we can assume that the Avatars each have their own, individual minds, but by living in the same body, they ultimately share a single conscience with their humans._

There were also lots of things said about Thoughts and Urges and Co-existing Psyches, but admittedly Yeonjun hadn't paid as much attention to it as he should've in high school. He doesn't quite regret it.

  


**(** _'You're a pain in my ass anyway,'_ he'd say to the Fox when it would demand an explanation. _'A pain in my **life** , sorry. Please don't go around swearing like that.'_

Like tit-for-tat, Yeonjun's teenage-Fox had rebelled against its human counterpart and did just _that_. Now that he thinks about it, Yeonjun _might_ have the vaguest idea as to how his spirit had learnt to curse like a particularly sleep-deprived sailor. **)**

  


Despite his general aversion to Spiritology though, one aspect about it had always stuck out to Yeonjun.

Maybe because he had had to encounter it almost daily in his life.

 _"You know, Preys and Predators generally do not mix,"_ his mother would often say as he lay bundled in her lap, a mere boy, both him and his Fox lulled to sleep by her gentle fingertips. _"It's no one's fault, really. We respect all people, and all spirits. It's just our natures that come in between, often at the risk of harming one another. So don't mix with a Prey unless you're absolutely sure of yourself- and even if you are, try to maintain a safe distance. Do you understand, Jun-ah?"_

Traditionally, people with carnivorous or omnivorous spirits were called _Predators_ , while those with smaller aves or herbivores were termed as _Prey_. There were a number of stereotypes that had stemmed from them- like the myth that carnivores were usually more aggressive, or that herbivores were gentle and weak and more prone to submission. Such stereotypes had lasted all but a few years; very soon, the ever-evolving society had deemed them useless and fucking _derogatory_ , and the world had changed to what Yeonjun knew it was now.

But just because something was useless didn't mean it wasn't true. Just because the stereotypes proved to be false, didn't mean _everything_ had to be.

At the end of the day, Predators hunted the Prey. It was in their nature. Not one was safe with another, not one was compatible with the other. Yeonjun _knew_ that. 

He knew that, had seen that, and was quite fine with it. All of his friends were Predators, mostly omnivores and hunting birds; and he consciously maintained a safe distance from the herbivores. It's not to say that he ignored, or didn't speak with them- he would just set his boundaries, and abide by them. And everything was fine. Everything _had_ been fine, his entire life.

At least, until now.

Until now, or two months ago, when a certain Choi Soobin crashed into his life and literally turned it upside-down. Until now, when Yeonjun decided to attend a god-forsaken educational Summer Camp in the middle of his final year and worsened his situation even more.

God, his life really _loathed_ him. There could possibly be no other explanation.

**-**

  


_**First Week:** Day 2_

**-**

  


"Hey, Gyu!"

  


Yeonjun sprints through the grassy grounds, beating the early morning chills and clambering into the warm, cosily-built K-Camp cafeteria. There are few people milling about the counter, and he spots his friend at once, sitting at that one table in the far corner by the window (partly because he was his friend, and partly because Taehyun's ink had yet to disappear from Beomgyu's eye-catching, straw-blonde strands. It was unfortunately hilarious).

"Hi," he says, smiling as he sits down on the seat opposite to him. He takes in the younger's ruffled hair, sleepy eyes, the line of dark circles underlining his features; then sighs. "Gyu. You didn't get any sleep last night, did you?"

"No," Beomgyu soullessly admits. "Last night, I couldn't sleep a _wink_."

"What happened?" Yeonjun crosses his hands, not before swishing his wand and ordering a couple of strong Americanos for their table on the magically-maneuvering orderpad. "Did you have a fight with Taehyun again? Was _Kai_ able to get any sleep?"

"No," Beomgyu says, lips drawing into a thin, straight line. "The kid used _double_ earmuffs yesterday. And no, I didn't have a fight with _Taehyun_. Not... not really."

"Then- what happened?"

"I had a fight with his _duck_ ," the younger boy looks up with at him with hollow, vaguely desperate eyes. "That bird- it's _just_ as annoying as its owner! It kept biting on my toes and chewing my hair, so I was up all night fighting with it." Abruptly, he blinks; then breaks into a wide, concerning grin. "You know what's the funniest thing, hyung? I was up all night fighting that bird, and in the end I didn't even _win_! It's so _funny_."

As Beomgyu suddenly bends over himself and starts laughing, Yeonjun can only but stare harder. "Wha-" he tries, then stops. "What do you mean- when did Taehyun even get a pet? And- a _duck_?"

"Since yesterday, hyung," Beomgyu straightens up, all mirth suddenly wiped from his face. "Remember when you all went back into the woods to find me? Well, instead of trying to check on my whereabouts, my _partner_ stumbled upon a duck- one of the _tons_ he'd been playing with since our time at the lake- and immediately decided to adopt it. Just, like that." He throws his arms up in the air, the strong, palpable frustration finally seeping through. "Like, what the hell. _What the hell? Who_ does that, who even- he's not normal, hyung! He's weird, and strange, and _unbearable_ , and I _cannot_ live with him anymore."

Yeonjun sympathetically frowns as the younger buries his face in his hands, groaning lowly. He wants to help his friend, he really does; but there's nothing Yeonjun could do about this problem. Not really.

"Hey, Gyu," he sighs when he's met with no answer. "Hey, listen to me. Yesterday wasn't all bad, okay? Because you carried all those pails back to camp, your team was the only one who got three points for the first activity. You helped your team in winning- you came _first_. It hasn't been a complete waste, you know?"

"I don't care about that," Beomgyu says, and sounds like he really means it. "I just want to sleep. And for _fuck's_ sake, I want a normal, easy-going partner. Not Kang Taehyun. Just- not _him_."

Quietly, Yeonjun sighs. Right as the clock in the cafeteria strikes seven, a pair of tall, steaming beverages magically appear on their table.

Honestly, none of its occupants were in the mood to enjoy it; so Yeonjun ends up convincing Beomgyu to take one back, as he grabs his own cup and decides to share it with Soobin later.

While walking, a good distance away, the blue-haired boy thinks he's secretly glad he and Soobin didn't have such problems between them. He feels guilty- guilty for thinking so, guilty for being happy- but he can't help it all the same.

They had really, _unbelievably_ lucked out with each other. It was incredible.

  


**(** _"So, Soobin,"_ Yeonjun had said the night before, when they'd finally freshened up and sat down to dinner together (which was made by the Coordinators themselves, because they weren't _that_ cruel). _"Are you going to tell me what happened with you in the forest? How did you and Kang Taehyun even meet?"_

_"Oh, well,"_ Soobin had proceeded to stuff his mouth with noodles first, chewing lazily while speaking. _"It was- totally on accident. I told you about seeing a huge _monster_ in there, didn't I?"_ When Yeonjun slowly nods, he says, _"Well, turns out it was Instructor Jimin's magic. It was actually Taehyun's shadow, who had lost his way because of the mist and had wandered near our place."_

 _"So... that means you went back there?"_ Yeonjun'd asked, chewing on a particularly savoury fish-stick. _"You went back to that place... and then left? Me and Kai had so much trouble finding you."_

 _"From what Taehyun told me, I figured that the mist was doing something to that place. I'd never talked with Taehyun before, but he was pretty convinced that someone was magically trying to corner us, so we decided to run away."_ The younger boy then proceeded to turn his lips into a pout, brows furrowing. _"God, and I was _this_ close to our branches, too. Only- if only I had picked them up before running-"_

 _"I bet the Instructors would've been really shocked,"_ Yeonjun snorts, having somewhat come to terms with their failure (at least, he was _trying_ ). _"They didn't expect anyone to complete their missions. I guess that's why they looked so stupefied when we found Gyu in the woods. He really carried it all by himself, huh."_

 _"Your friend is amazing, Yeonjun-ssi,"_ Soobin had said, wide-eyed and impressed. _"He looked quite angry- but he had actually done it. His team was the only one who won."_ He then smiles a small, satisfied smile. _"I'm glad. Ning Ning complains a lot about his group, but I'm glad he's got such good teammates."_

Yeonjun hums. _"You know, I've never talked with Taehyun before. How was it interacting with him?"_

He had been curious about it because he wanted to understand why Beomgyu got so annoyed with him, and preferably not from Beomgyu's biased perspective. Soobin had proceeded to think a bit, a hand on his chin, chewing thoughtfully (he looked cute. Objectively). _"You know, I don't think I can describe him,"_ he'd finally said, shrugging. _"Taehyun is... quite interesting, no doubt about it. He doesn't show too much emotion, not at first glance, but he's surprisingly... very intuitive and childlike. Do you know he got lost in the mist while trying to follow some ducks? He's very- different and unique. I hope I get a chance to interact with him more here."_

 _"Yeah..."_ Yeonjun trails off. Soobin looked really endearing when he stuffed his cheeks like a literal hamster and talked at the same time. _"I hope Gyu gives himself a chance like that, too."_ **)**

  


As Yeonjun jogs the way back to his cabin, coffee in hand, he spots a tall, dark-haired guy standing near the porch and glancing searchingly around. A small smile automatically quirks the corner of his lips.

"Hey," he greets Soobin as he approaches closer. The taller guy blinks, then smiles back. "Good morning. Do you want this?"

Soobin squints down at the steaming coffee he was offering, then scrunches his nose in distaste. "Uh.. um.. Is that Americano?"

"Yup," Yeonjun nods. "Why, you don't like it?"

"No.. I'm not very good with bitter things," Soobin says, brows furrowing. "Sorry."

"Hey, don't sweat it," Yeonjun swats a hand, taking a sip from the cup then giving his partner a curious once-over. "What're you doing out here, anyway? We don't have any missions today, didn't you wanna sleep in?"

"Yes. I'll be doing so in a minute," Soobin smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his nape. "Actually, I was looking for you. Instructor Kim Taehyung left these for us- asked me to give one to you."

Yeonjun blinks confusedly at the thin, laminated sheet Soobin hands out to him. He's got a similar sheet for himself; it's like a list of things and timings, not unlike the Schedule they'd been given the day before. The content though, surprises Yeonjun more than it probably should.

"Magic Classes?" he reads out the words written in large, bold font. He looks up at Soobin. "They're actually arranging magic classes for us?"

"Well. This _is_ an educational Camp, no matter how... unconventional," Soobin grins cheerfully back at him. "I guess they're finally taking their name seriously."

"It does look like that, huh." Yeonjun skims through the sheet with acute attention, going over all the classes and options and timing arrangements. "Wow, this is _good_. They actually have a lot of classes, and a lot more options than what we studied in Uni." He chews distractedly over his bottom lip, thinking it over. "It says we can attend these both together and individually. I guess we'll have to be together for... the _'Pair Magic'_ classes, but other than that, which ones are _you_ going to choose?"

"Honestly, I haven't decided yet," Soobin shrugs. He runs a hand through his already-ruffled hair, smiling awkwardly. "Um, do you mind if I get back to you on that? Right now.. I'd like to sleep in for just a bit longer."

"Oh, yeah. Sure. I'll be around."

Yeonjun watches as the taller boy turns away and walks back to their cabin, his pale, oversized blue t-shirt crumpled, black shorts providing a generous view of fair, impossibly long legs. Yeonjun looks away before he catches himself staring, huffing when his spirit finally stirs awake inside his head.

 _'Would it kill you to wake up before seven once in a while?'_ he says irately. _'I got up at six today.'_

 _'A very good morning to you, too,'_ his spirit yawns happily. Yeonjun simply sighs. _'Also, for the record, I woke up at five yesterday, and we both know what happened after. Never making that mistake again.'_

Rolling his eyes, the blue-haired boy looks down at the sheet in his hands. _'Let's find a place to sit somewhere,'_ he decides finally. _'This is going to take a long while.'_

**-**

  


Every student, individually, could attend a maximum of three classes a day. So after some careful, thorough consideration, Soobin selects his own classes (which turned out to be starkly different from Yeonjun's) and makes a run for the first one.

  


_'Oh, there're a lot of people here,'_ his spirit remarks idly at their surroundings. _'Looks like Memory Charms isn't as boring as we first thought, huh.'_

 _'Don't drag me into this, it was all you,'_ Soobin huffs. Picks a secluded corner of the room stand and wait for the Instructor's arrival. _'I love memory charms- I've always wanted to study them more in-depth. You know that.'_ Curiously, he looks around the surprisingly crowded room, the full interiors of a tiny cottage built cosily near the Lake. _'But you're right, there really are a lot of people here. I wonder who our Instructor is.'_

Right then, with the lightest of footsteps and the most tired countenance in existence, a short, mint-haired man steps into the room with a sleepy scowl on his face.

"Hello, students," he says, more like drawls, sharp, dark eyes looking them over from under sleep-lidded lashes. "My name is Min Yoongi, and welcome to your first Memory Charms class. I hope everyone brought along their wands."

Soobin, like everyone else, brings out his own wand from his pocket.

"That's our cabin roommate."

The tall boy startles as someone speaks softly in his ear, turning behind to see Taehyun staring blankly up at him. "What?" he says, caught off-guard and habitually nervous. "I'm sorry- you said-?"

"Instructor Min Yoongi shares the cabin with us," the crimson-haired boy says, unblinkingly staring ahead. "One of his most remarkable traits is that he can sleep anywhere, anytime, and even amidst a shitload of noise. It's quite fascinating, actually."

Soobin blinks, surprised- maybe at the fact that the younger had cursed, or maybe because _Kang Taehyun_ was actually coming over and talking to him. _Willingly_. The kid had built quite the reputation for himself around school; almost every student, regardless of majors, could narrate at least _one_ incident about the second-year's uncanny wit and _frigid_ social encounters. He was infamous for being blunt, straightforward, yet a pragmatic genius- and Soobin couldn't for the life of him figure out what the junior could have to do with a person like him.

Was it because they had met each other in the forest yesterday? Kang Taehyun had never been the social type. So why was he-

"You know, I think my duck is going to like you."

"W-what?" Soobin stutters. He really was giving the most awful impression of himself to the junior, ever. "I'm sorry- I don't understand-"

"You're Choi Soobin, right?" Taehyun says, cutting in before Soobin could embarrass himself any further. "You're a third year, Music and Performance Arts major. Known for being kind, shy, nervous, but considered one of the most reliable and trustworthy seniors of the University. You're _also_ Choi Yeonjun's partner." He blinks; and as if remembering himself, extends a hand out to him. "Hello, I'm Kang Taehyun. Second-year, studying History and Experimental Magic. I heard you're Huening Kai's friend. It's nice to meet you."

"Uh- it's nice to meet you too." Soobin thinks the most impressive part about this is that Taehyun's expression doesn't change throughout their entire exchange. Quite randomly, he says, "I hope we perform well in this class. I've always wanted to try this one out."

"It's interesting, isn't it?" For the first time ever, Taehyun's lips curl up into a tiny, _tiny_ smile (Soobin has to mentally check with himself to confirm he really isn't imagining it). He looks up at the senior with eyes a fraction wider than usual. "I've always wanted to try this out, too. It's _horribly_ intriguing."

They put a halt to their conversation as the Instructor starts to speak again. Soobin though, after a bit of consideration, realises that maybe there was a lot more to Kang Taehyun than what people simply _heard_ about him, or made him out to be just by the rumours alone. Kang Taehyun in real life was different, and unique, and so much like a quiet, painfully awkward _child_ , Soobin almost couldn't believe it.

This was good- this was a development. He couldn't wait to interact more with the junior. _Properly_ this time.

**-**

  


"So, that was strange," Yeonjun jokes as he runs over to the bench and tiredly flops down. "What're the odds of all three of us attending the same class together?"

  


"It's called _Fate_ , hyung." Beomgyu- who looks far more cheerful than he did in the morning- wipes a river of sweat off his brow on the hem of his soaked green t-shirt. "I think a Strength Enhancing class is the perfect activity for friends to bond over."

"And it was so _cool_ , too!" Huening Kai openly gushes as he plops down on the grass and looks up at them. "Instructor Jeon Jungguk was so strong, and so athletic! And you guys were awesome, too!"

"Of course I was, I'm a Sports major," Beomgyu huffs, pointing a thumb at himself. "Athletics runs in my blood, brat. I was _born_ awesome."

"Don't mind him, he likes to bluff," Yeonjun waves a hand, while his Fox snickers in his head. Beomgyu makes a furious motion mid-air, as if wanting to strangle him, but reigns himself in at the last second. "So, Kai. It's nice being with you for three classes in a row. Quite a weird coincidence, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Huening Kai grins, his curly brown locks cutely framing his face. "It's so cool to see you perform so many kinds of magic, and undoubtedly excel at it! You're really _awesome_ , Yeonjun-ssi."

"Oh, come on, he ain't all that," Beomgyu cuts in. "You can stop with those googly-eyes, kid. Tell me what new things _you_ learnt since morning today."

"Well, turns out Kai is a natural in Voice Modulation," Yeonjun says, laughing when the younger turns a bright shade of crimson and shyly bristles. "What, admit it! Instructor Jung Hoseok was so surprised- he said you've got a gift. Most people attended the class to learn the basics of Volume Control, but Kai managed to modulate both his volume _and_ pitch on the very first try." He smiles when Beomgyu grins down at his teammate like a proud parent. "I mean, the noises that followed were pretty _funny_ \- but it seems like the General Coordinator found a rare talent today. He was _very_ impressed."

"Oh wow, can't believe I've been rooming in with some wannabe Modulation prodigy," Beomgyu jokes. At least he got along well with _one_ of his teammates. "Warn me beforehand if I've gotta roam around in sunglasses, trying to hide the fact that I'm Huening Kai's partner."

"Please, Yeonjun-ssi _destroyed_ the Beat-less Dance practice," the freshman says, and now it's Yeonjun's turn to act all flustered (he did quite a poor job at it, admittedly. He'd always liked receiving praise a bit too much, really). "That class was taught by Hoseok-ssi, as well. The whole class watched as he danced to completely no music and yet got the given steps _just right_."

"It wasn't all that," Yeonjun says, a pleased warmth settling itself deep in his chest. "Also, you can call me _'hyung'_." He grins back at the simply _elated_ face Kai makes, inhaling deeply and looking up at the clear blue sky. He watches the clouds, for a moment, then glances down to his watch. Straightens quickly.

"Oh, I gotta go. The Pair Magic class starts in ten minutes."

"I guess we better pack up, as well," Beomgyu says, though the smile on his lips very visibly diminishes. "Don't worry, we've been meaning to try that out, too. We'll just find Taehyun, and... meet you guys there. I guess." He seems less-than-thrilled at the idea of meeting up with their third teammate, and again, Yeonjun could only sympathise with his friend. Nothing else.

"Okay." Nodding, the blue-haired guy gets up from his seat, swats the dust off his trousers. He waves, once at Kai sprawled out like a starfish over the grass, and once at a grumbling Beomgyu perched silently upon the bench. "See you later then."

As he breaks into a light jog, sprinting towards what he remembers to be Soobin's last class, the Fox rumbles uncertainly in his head. _'Hey, human,'_ it says, trying to sound casually unaffected. _'Is it just me, or was the Bear acting a little strange?'_

 _'You'd know if you woke up early once in a while,'_ Yeonjun quips back. He likes the feeling of _him_ teasing the Fox, for a change; but then proceeds to narrate the entire morning incident to it, anyway.

**-**

  


"So, did everyone enjoy that?" Instructor Park Jimin smiles while softly- but loudly- addressing the crowd. "I hope you all gave your full attention here."

  


"And no slacking off," Instructor Kim Taehyung adds, a friendly glint in his eyes. "Even if you fool everyone else, your magic is going to give you away."

The crowd- which was larger than any of those gathered in the previous individual classes- just gives them both an awed, breathless hum.

"Wow, that was- _incredible_ ," Yeonjun hears someone whisper behind him, and he cannot agree more. "Man, I still don't get what happened."

Beside him, Soobin stares at the older duo with wide eyes, mouth openly hanging- and the blue-haired boy decides that _everyone_ around was feeling the same kind of thing he was, as well. 

Surprise and stupefaction. And maybe a pinch (or a _gallon_ ) of _awe_.

The most surprising thing about the Pair Magic class seemed to be the fact that it was going to be taught by two Instructors together. Yeonjun had talked with his cabin-mate Kim Taehyung once, and with Park Jimin under _famished_ conditions (read: the day before)- but one glance at the way the two of them interacted with each other, held their gazes and completed each other's sentences and grinned in eerie synchronisation- it had him feeling that those two had known each other _way_ before ending up as colleagues here. He had a feeling they were best friends, maybe _something more_ ; and also a third, stranger feeling that they might be the best people to take charge of this class, as well.

And they hadn't even begun.

"The Instructors look pretty close," Soobin whispers to him quietly, and looks like Yeonjun wasn't the only one who noticed. "I mean- the way they performed all those spells together, in tandem? Everything was synchronised, almost _perfect_." He exhales a rough, overwhelmed breath, hands crossed over his chest. "I'm _very_ sure they must've been best friends at some point. Or still are."

"Maybe... The only word I can think of to describe them is _soulmates_." Yeonjun looks up to see Soobin curiously catch his gaze. "I mean- I know it's ridiculous. But still."

Surprisingly, the taller boy doesn't dissent. "I agree," he says, after a moment of thought. "To be honest, I don't quite believe in the concept of soulmates. But what we just saw right now-" he shakes his head, in disbelief still. "Now _that_ might just be it."

A minute after all interested groups had gathered around the small clearing filled with soft grass and lined with wild trees, the Instructors had asked them to take a seat and simply _'observe'_. From his place in the grass, and Soobin sitting beside, Yeonjun had seen them perform an array of magic spells and incantations, by sharing and melding their magic together, with _mind-blowing_ perfection. He's never seen two different people with different abilities mix their natures and perform before, added with the fact that they were all _wandless_ incantations. Wandless magic was always trickier than Wand magic; even if he was one of the few students who actually had a good grasp of it, Yeonjun couldn't but feel horribly nervous.

Pair Magic seemed to be such a surreal affair. Even more so if they'd have to live up to _that_ kind of finesse.

  


**(** He remembers sitting stupefied on the grass that swayed wildly with the magic in the air. He remembers being hit with the feelings, emotions of the crowd as if it were a physical blow; the magical prowess seeping into the very soil they sat upon, the star-lights crystallising in the air spreading goosebumps along his spine. He remembers the Instructors moving, twirling, _dancing_ around each other, the air and the birds and Nature itself joining in with their spectacular presentation.

He's never thought so before, but Yeonjun fears he is going to fail this class. _Thoroughly_.

It just looked so damn _difficult_. **)**

  


"Hey, don't look so down, you guys," Instructor Kim Taehyung smiles at the faces every student in the crowd must've been making. "Don't worry, we'll start easy. You won't even need your wands yet. Just, everybody stand up, and get ready to work with your partners."

"I'm really nervous," Soobin tells Yeonjun as they brush the dirt off their pants, cringing cutely. "I have to say I'm not very good with Wandless magic. I apologise in advance if I do anything stupid."

"Hey, it's not like I'm much better." Yeonjun barely manages to not roll his eyes when his Fox goes _'No need to be so modest, human'_. He simply shrugs. "Don't worry, we should just give this the best shot we've got."

Soobin amicably nods.

"The first step to performing magic together, as a _pair_ , is to let your natures get accustomed to each other," Instructor Park Jimin speaks up. "For some people, it'd be easy- for some, difficult. Ours' had been difficult, believe it or not," he gestures between himself and Kim Taehyung, a smile curving his lips, "but with a little bit of practice, things should definitely work out. You just have to be patient."

"A _lot_ ," Kim Taehyung playfully adds, nudging his friend, eliciting a small laugh from Soobin. "But believe me, with the right mindset, you guys are going to be just fine. Don't worry 'bout it."

Slowly, like the Instructors demonstrated, the students began huddling close and followed their instructions. Yeonjun placed the flat of his right palm against Soobin's left, willing himself to not turn crimson. It must've worked, because the taller seemed unaffected by their contact (just a tad bit nervous), and his own spirit hadn't caught onto anything. A relief, really.

 **(** Briefly, Yeonjun wonders if- theoretically- it was even possible to hide things from something that lived inside your own head. Then again, despite a shared conscience, both him and his spirit seemed to posses different minds, and the Fox didn't know about his _fascination_ with Soobin just yet; so he'll take what he can get, and hope that things didn't get any messier. **)**

"After connecting your hands, start channeling a bit of your magic into them. Each of you." The Instructors face each other, palms linked, to show them how it's done. "Our magic is actually an extension of us and our spirits- which is why people with different spirits usually have very different kinds of magic. In order to work together, you need to get to know each other, and make the other comfortable. Your magic needs to get used to the magic of your partner- so lean forward, make yourselves known, and wait for the other to slowly accept you."

Inhaling deeply, Yeonjun steps closer, and does just that. Tries to, at least. He lets some of his power seep into the point of contact between him and Soobin, and waits. Waits, for anything.

He's nervous as _heck_.

 _'Oh,'_ his spirit quietly says; and in a blink, the world suddenly dissolves around them.

It's just him and Soobin now, standing face-to-face in the clearing, hands linked, a bit of their individual magic sparking at their fingertips, just shy of touching each other. Yeonjun breathes- keeps on breathing. He relaxes his nerves, inhales and exhales, and decides to take the first leap of faith.

Softly, he lets his Fox nudge Soobin's spirit with a tentative, feather-light touch.

His eyes are closed, but Yeonjun feels Soobin gasp a little at that. It's an overwhelming sensation; their magic connected, their spirits communicating, their souls trying to adjust with each other, and them- simply _feeling_ it. Yeonjun can feel Soobin's movements as if they were his own; Soobin's breath, his warmth, the slight buzzing in his head. He could feel his touch, soft and shy, burning the palm of his hand with its sheer intensity. It's intimate, magical, _unbelievable_ ; he doesn't want to stop feeling like this, wants to push forward- but doesn't know what to do next, either.

Perhaps Soobin is equally puzzled; he opens his eyes the same time Yeonjun does, pupils blown just a tiny, tiny bit, lips pried apart.

"Oh _my_. I did say it'll come easy, but looks like your souls were _meant_ to be together, you two."

Yeonjun turns back at Park Jimin's surprised voice, sneaking a glance at a blank-faced Taehyun standing near a scowling but red-cheeked Beomgyu, further away. Their faces were ducked low, foreheads touching, hands linked togeher with seemingly _intense_ reluctance. Huening Kai stands a little away from them, watching with wide eyes, as do the Instructors staring at the duo with awed, identical grins.

There's a good distance between them; but Yeonjun can clearly see the space between Taehyun and Beomgyu's hands glowing a bright, shimmering golden, as stellar as pure, unbroken sunlight.

"Wow. Your spirits are accepting each other _really quick_ ," Kim Taehyung says, with strange admiration in his voice. "It's definitely rare. You guys are _so_ compatible, no wonder you ended up as partners."

As Instructor Jimin nods vehemently, Huening Kai hides a snort behind his hand. Beomgyu simply twists his face and looks down, prompting Taehyun to stubbornly remain quiet.

"Yeonjun-ssi," Yeonjun turns back to see Soobin stare back at him with a vaguely determined look in his eyes. It was a _good_ look. "Let's try that again, shall we?"

"Yup," Yeonjun says, a fire in his gaze. He wanted to be as good as them, nothing less, maybe _more_ , and proceeds to do just that.

As they concentrate on their magic, once again, that same, overwhelming feeling comes rushing back. It's honestly too immense yet relaxing, so much that Yeonjun wants to keep feeling like that and nothing else; but he cannot, for they had something to achieve now. He pushes forward, this time with greater force, more conviction. His magic reaches out to touch Soobin's, catching it and intertwining with it, combining heir essences, essentially forming a bond. Yeonjun _feels_ Soobin, closer than ever before; he waits for him, beckons him- and finally, _finally_ , feels the other completely relax and give himself up to the sensation.

Soobin lowers his guard, lets his magic run free. He _trusts_ Yeonjun.

Yeonjun smiles gratefully.

And then- something happens.

One moment he's there, feeling their spirits tangle and accustom themselves to each other. One moment, he can feel the magic in his hands, the warm, blue light glowing prettily between their palms- but in the next, the softness gives way to a burning, searing _pain_. Yeonjun jerks his hand back, feeling something strong and unfamiliar rush through his body. He steps back on the grass, diffusing their connection- snaps his eyes open. His body's reeling, feeling unbalanced; there's a singeing in his limbs, a thrum of ache, while a strange, loud buzz in his head disorients him in the worst way possible. Something was going on in there.

_Oh._

His spirit was screaming.

"Hey- be careful, you two! What _happened_ -"

Yeonjun's eyes refocus to zoom in on his partner's still form. Soobin is bent over himself, a hand clutching his left palm feverishly. The grip is tight, intense; he ducks his face down as his knuckles turn white, and Yeonjun ignores the shouts from the Instructors and other students to pick out the real damage done.

Blood. There was a deep gash settling on Soobin's left hand. He was _bleeding_.

And Yeonjun had done that.

He had made Soobin bleed. He had hurt his _partner_.

 **(** He'd never meant to, had never wanted to. But he had. Because he was a Predator. **)**

 **(** Yeonjun _hated_ that. **)**

"Yeonjun-" Soobin tries, struggling between clenched teeth and pained eyes, but Yeonjun didn't hear him anymore; he couldn't. He could hear nothing, see nothing, feel nothing. As the groups break up to curiously crowd around them, inspecting the scene, Yeonjun feels his eyes sting. He sweeps a numb gaze over the shocked students, the worried Instructors, his _hurt_ partner- and the knot in his throat grows tighter.

 _Yeonjun_ , he could hear someone shout. _Yeonjun-_ Someone was calling out his name. But he didn't care, he didn't. He simply turns and runs away from the clearing, eager to get away from all those eyes, away from everything.

  


He never looks back. Not once at Soobin's hunched form, not once at Beomgyu's concerned expression. He only wills himself to swallow his tears, and runs.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Whew, I hope that was enjoyable! :) Thank you a lot for leaving your thoughts the previous chapter, this extra-quick update was definitely because of that. I'm so excited to hear everyone's opinions on the story this far, and I hope you all look forward to the next update!
> 
> Thank you for reading, and as always- stay safe, stay happy, and I hope everyone has a great day/night! Bye bye! ヽ(✿ﾟ▽ﾟ)ノ


	4. Partners

**[CHOI YEONJUN: TWO MONTHS AGO]**

  


"CHOI BEOMGYU YOU FUCKING BRAT- COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW, OR I SWEAR I WILL-"

  


Pink-cheeked and fuming, Choi Yeonjun makes his way across the University's Sports Grounds, pushing past the thick crowd in search of a runaway friend slash the most evil Bear in all of Nature's existence. The half-torn, half-dyed cape on his shoulders bellows behind him as he walks, the chatter of students and the glare of the Sun spiking up his already flared temper.

Furiously, he looks around, fists clenched and gaze scorching. _'Oh, I'll kill him,'_ he says to a spirit who is just as unimpressed. _'Jinxing my microphone and vanishing my dance shoes **and** backstabbing me to take on this ridiculous role- oh, I'm so killing him.'_

 _'I always knew humans were stupid,'_ the Fox says, in a voice loud enough to burst his eardrums. _'You two have this infuriating habit of pulling each other's legs, but this is the limit. I'm revolting.'_

"Oh, I'll get back at him for this, don't worry," Yeonjun mutters, seething. "I definitely will." He looks around, craning his neck over the crowd of huddling, hyper-excited students. "YAH, YOU LITTLE SHIT, ENOUGH'S ENOUGH. NOW COME OUT THIS INSTANT, OR ELSE-"

A small squeak sounds from somewhere to his left. Yeonjun turns to spot a straw-haired figure dive deeper into the crowd.

 _'Got him.'_ Breaking into a sprint, the blue-haired boy runs through the hordes of students in the direction he's sure Beomgyu went. His body feels heavy, invisible sneakers looking awkward on his toes- but he breathes through his nose and runs. Oh, he's going to jinx that Bear to _Hell_ and back; he'll dye his socks, and tickle him to death, and paste a stupid golden crown on top of his stupid golden hair-

Yeonjun turns a corner, and collides headfirst with another moving person.

 **(** Who, by the way, needed to get their eyes checked. This was a legitimate _emergency_. **)**

"Ow, fuck, sorry-" The blue-haired boy hisses and rubs the back of his head, wincing at the slight but painful throbbing. He heaves himself up, brushes the dust off his shoulders. Pats himself down to check if his costume was safe and unscathed- however ridiculous, it still _was_ the Theatre Faculty's property- then turns to look at the person he collided with. It's a guy, tall and lanky, dressed in abnormally normal clothes ( _abnormal_ , because this was Drama season, and no one dresses normally during Drama season); he was crouching on one knee, busy picking up a bundle of scattered sheets and papers. Yeonjun fleetingly thinks he should help this person; but his first priority was catching up with Beomgyu, and this was going to take up some time, so maybe he should just _go_.

He takes one step forward, when the other guy looks up and mutters a soft apology.

"Hey, um. I'm sorry," he says, brown eyes wide, lips between teeth, a fringe of dark hair curtaining his forehead. He cutely winces. "I should've seen where I was going. Sorry for-"

Oh.

**(** _Oh._ **)**

"No problem," Yeonjun immediately crouches down, before the boy could finish, ignoring the confused grumbling of the the Fox inside his head. "It was my fault too. I wasn't looking." He picks a couple papers up and holds them out to the guy. "Let me help you with these."

The tall, doe-eyed boy blinks; then smiles gratefully- a cute, impossibly _endearing_ sight. For a moment, Yeonjun seriously thinks he's in love.

"Thank you," the guy- who later Yeonjun would come to know as one _Choi Soobin_ \- bows as he stands up, smiling still. "I'll get going now. Have a nice day."

Later on, Yeonjun has considerable difficulty finding Beomgyu amidst the crazy, colourful crowd (he ultimately does, anyway), but on hindsight, he thinks it _has_ been a very nice day. He returns home light and slightly giddy, carefully veiling his thoughts so as not to let his spirit know. It's just a petty infatuation, he thinks; Yeonjun was, against all misconceptions, forever a sucker for cute things, and Choi Soobin was nothing if not terribly, _dreadfully_ cute. It was to be expected, after all; it was normal. Just a teeny-tiny crush, a passing craze. _Totally_ no biggie.

Except that, two weeks later, when he finds himself unconsciously looking around for a six-foot-something junior in the cafeteria, he realises that it wasn't normal at all. Or simply a _passing craze_. Choi Soobin had somehow slithered into his life, dangerously deep, and was now refusing to go away.

Yeonjun was really and truly _screwed_.

**-**

  


_'I'm sorry.'_

  


The partial glare of the Sun greets him as Yeonjun opens his eyes. He was lying flat under the shade of a tree, near the running grounds, for a little over an hour now. _'It's okay,'_ he says flatly, to a Fox who had never sounded so down before. _'I dunno what happened, but it wasn't your fault.'_

 _'We don't know what happened, true,'_ his spirit quietly says. _'But I think we both know **why** that happened. Right?'_

****

****

Yeonjun blinks; then closes his eyes. _'Yes,'_ he admits, turning on his side and dragging his knees up to his chest. _'It's why I should've never talked with him. It's why we should've never been paired up. It's why this arrangements sucks.'_

_'Is there no way we can change our teams? If you just request the Coordinators-'_

_'We should've never been paired, you know?'_ Yeonjun continues as if he hadn't heard it. He was feeling dangerously blank- perhaps a coping mechanism, he thinks pragmatically. _'You remember what the Instructors said? Those lights paired people up based on their compatibility. But they were wrong- Soobin and I aren't compatible. I mean, we get along really well, the best-'_ he screws his eyes shut, willing not to tear up- _'but there's no point. Our natures are different. We can never be together.'_

 _'It's our reality,'_ the Fox says, in a vaguely consoling manner. _'Preys and Predators do not mix. Nothing can change that.'_

Yeonjun sighs; stares at the green, dewy grass surrounding them for a long moment. _'I hurt him, you know?'_ he says quietly, finally. _'Did you see it? He was bleeding. Soobin was bleeding. I hurt him.'_

 _' **We** hurt him,'_ the Fox corrects him automatically. _'And even though we know why it happened, that doesn't mean it was intentional! Don't beat yourself up Jun, you're not-'_

 _'I hurt him,'_ Yeonjun says, words eerily firm, and suddenly the voice in his head grows silent. _'I hurt Soobin. I hurt my partner. I hurt that one person in the world I should've never, ever hurt. He's- he's my- I-'_

Yeonjun grits his teeth and burns that thought before the Fox could hear it.

All around him, a swarm of cicadas rise to loudly sing their song in the warm Summer breeze.

**-**

  


****

**[CHOI BEOMGYU: ONE AND A HALF MONTHS AGO]**

  


"Hyung, what're you doing?"

  


"Hmm?" Yeonjun blinks. He looks down to the book in his hands. "Can't you see? I'm reading."

Beomgyu's brows lift, lips curling up into a tiny, amused smirk. "You're holding it upside down," he says to the older who suddenly looks flustered. "Quite some experimental form of reading, I'd say."

"Shut up." The embarrassed blush is high on Yeonjun's cheeks, and it's honestly a sight Beomgyu hasn't seen much before. Quickly, the blue-haired boy flips the book over, burying his nose into the pages. "It's an _honest_ mistake," Yeonjun says. "This is a Library, Gyu, let me _read_."

"Clearly spending so much time 'round here has screwed with your head," Beomgyu remarks, looking over their table and curiously around the surroundings. "So, who's this lucky person? The one you've got your gaze fixed upon for hours?"

"No one! It's no one-" Yeonjun barely manages not to exclaim, arms flailing, looking absolutely panicked. "Gyu, _please_ \- let it go. It's no one, I swear."

"You know, for a Fox you're a pretty lame liar. Aren't you guys supposed to be good at that?"

The blue-haired boy huffs. "Okay, now you're just stereotyping."

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry," Beomgyu grins. He runs a hand through his straw-blonde hair, wiggles his eyebrows. "Doesn't make me wrong though."

As the older very dramatically sighs, Beomgyu starts glancing around the Library. "Well, let's see." They're both sitting on opposite sides of the table, so the person Yeonjun had been ogling definitely had to be sitting behind him. He turns around and sweeps his gaze over the room; there were a couple of Art students in one corner, heads huddled close and table suspiciously full of glitter. Then there were the Physics majors, the Dancers, and the stern-faced, heavy-wrinkled Librarian who was constantly trying not to fall asleep, and-

Beomgyu blinks. _Aha_.

On the table almost perpendicular to their's, sat the Music and Performance Arts third-year Choi Soobin. His back was hunched, long bony fingers flipping through the pages of a fat, green-covered book.

Only two tables away from Soobin, his body casually inclined in his seat, sat one History and Experimental Magic major, Kang Taehyun.

With a bright, noticeable, thoroughly uncharacteristic _makeover_.

"Oh, would you look at that? Kang Taehyun dyed his hair _red_. How outrageous."

He completely misses the way Yeonjun's shoulders drop, a relieved huff escaping him. "Yes, outrageous indeed," he says, now a lot more at ease. "That is _definitely_ what I was staring at. Yeah."

"He's weird, you know?" Beomgyu says as he turns back to his own textbook, tongue peeking out like a bad habit. "That Taehyun kid. He's like, a whole year younger than me, but still reads in second-year. He's almost in _all_ my classes, and is always so quiet and blank- kinda sucks the fun outta everything."

"I don't think your habit of _always having fun_ is very acceptable, either," Yeonjun says. "You guys are total opposites. Maybe you'll balance each other out."

"Oh, no, not happening," Beomgyu shakes his head, almost laughing at the absurdity of the statement. Very suddenly, he looks up with bright eyes and a brighter grin, prompting Yeonjun to warily lean away. "You know who'd make a great team though? Kang Taehyun and _Huening Kai_. Remember that cheerful, happy-go-lucky kid who's working as a bell-boy 'round the play- anything out of their interactions could only be pure _drama_."

"Oh, you absolute sadist," the older shakes his head before going back to his reading, properly this time. "I don't even know why I'm friends with you anymore."

"That's 'cause you _love_ me, hyung," Beomgyu knows he has a shit-eating grin on his face, and that he's acting weird, but he knows Yeonjun like the back of his hand. Quite predictably, it takes only two seconds for the older to give in and smile right back. "I'm right, right? You love me. Tell me you love me."

"Okay, enough. I swear you brat, _one_ more word outta you, and I'll-"

**-**

  


"Hey, hyung."

  


"Beomgyu," Yeonjun says, then tilts his face up to greet his companion. "Taehyun. What's up?"

" _Hyung_ ," Beomgyu groans, half-scowling, wanting to be done with this already. "Don't do that. You can't do that. I know you're sad, I know you're hurting, just- don't _do_ that. Don't act like nothing happened. You can tell us, we- _I'm_ your _friend_."

He chooses to ignore the way Taehyun glances at him for the change in pronouns, opting to observe his best friend instead. Yeonjun's striking blue hair was ruffled, unkempt, framing a wrinkled, blank-looking face that usually was the talk of the University for its unparalleled good looks and youthfulness. There were leaves stuck in his clothes, skin matted with sweat, his long wand sticking out of his pant pocket and poking at his spine in a way that was bound to hurt.

In short, his friend looked the _worst_ Beomgyu had seen him look in forever. He had seen Yeonjun down before, had seen him through some of his lowest points- but hardly anything could compare to how he looked now.

This was going to be difficult.

"Hyung," he tries, once again, toning his voice down to something softer, more understanding. "Look, I know what you're feeling, okay? I saw what happened." He takes a tentative step closer. "I saw what happened, so I can tell you with 100% surety that it was an accident. I know you're beating yourself up, about hurting Soobin, but it wasn't your fault. Your natures didn't mix, so your magic just- _reacted_. It lashed out. It was an _accident_ hyung, and you need to accept that."

Yeonjun stares at him for a second, gaze frighteningly detached. "And how do you know that?"

Beomgyu huffs. "Hyung, I told you. I _saw_ -"

"What if that wasn't it?" Yeonjun shakes his head, heaving himself up only to lean back against the tree behind him. "What if what you saw wasn't it? What if it wasn't an _accident_?" He brings out his wand and pokes the tip of it distractedly. "You know I'm good with Wandless magic, right? And I'm a Fox, so I'm supposed to be a good liar." He looks up, lips thinning into a straight line. "What if I purposefully hurt Soobin and am now acting like I didn't? What if I _hated_ him as my partner- so much that I did this to make it look like we're not in the least compatible?"

Oh, this is bad. This was _worse_ than just bad. Beomgyu gulps around the tight knot growing in his throat. "Hyung-"

"What if this was my plan all along, and you guys are playing right into it?"

"No, don't say that. I _know_ you, hyung, you can never-"

"That's ridiculous."

A cold, frigid voice cuts him short, prompting Beomgyu to turn at the same time as Yeonjun to stare at their third companion incredulously. "What?" he says, face scrunching up. "What did you just say?"

"I said, that's _ridiculous_ ," Kang Taehyun stares back at him blankly, with a critical gaze. "What? Don't tell me you believe him. We're not idiots, Beomgyu. We're not playing into anybody's plans."

_'Well, he's not wrong-'_

_'Shut up,'_ Beomgyu says to his spirit, maybe a bit rudely, canines gritting against each other. Taehyun's plain, impassive face, coupled with that all-knowing, omniscient lilt to his voice, is the most annoying thing he's ever faced in his life. "Okay," he says, trying very hard not to lose his cool. "Taehyun- listen. This is between me and hyung, okay? _Only_. So why don't you just-"

"From what I see, you're making absolutely no progress," the crimson-haired guy tells him bluntly, turning to stare down at the oldest. "And Yeonjun-ssi, I stand by what I said. Fox or not, making a plan and doing something like this is impossible for you. Please stop trying to convince us otherwise."

Beomgyu's jaw falls open. The _audacity_ \- "Yah! How the hell can you talk to hyung like that?"

"Well, he's being stupid," Taehyun says. "Go on, Yeonjun-ssi. Tell him I'm right. You're not a person like that."

"Excuse me?" Yeonjun's brows furrow down in annoyance, and Beomgyu quickly realises the situation was getting out of hand. An Annoyed Choi Yeonjun was _way_ worse than a Sad and Dejected Choi Yeonjun. "We barely know each other- we're practically strangers. How can you say that with such confidence, Taehyun- _ssi_?"

"Because I'm right. Isn't it obvious?" When only a terse silence greets his statement, Taehyun glances between the two of them; then sighs. "Oh, I get it. Now I need to give you an explanation, don't I?"

 _'Oh, I'm going to kill him,'_ Beomgyu crosses his arms and closes his fists before they get out of his control. _'He's going too far. He's making hyung even more upset.'_

 _'The Squirrel doesn't mean bad, you know?'_ His Bear tells him gently, kind and _ridiculous_ as ever. _'Don't get violent, Beomgyu. I'm sure he has a point.'_

_'If his point is to give me a reason to jinx him, he's doing a fantastic job. You know I'm good with Jinxes, right?'_

_'What?'_ His spirit sounds vaguely panicked as it says, _'No, no, wait- stop. Why do you always have to be so **violent** , I can't with you-'_

"So?" Yeonjun quirks a single brow, voice challenging. "Got anything to say, Taehyun-ssi?"

"You're really going to make me say it, aren't you?" The crimson-haired boy sighs a second time, then locks his gaze with Yeonjun's head-on. "Very well, if you insist. Yeonjun-ssi, I'm very pretty sure you're not the person you're trying so hard to appear to be, because if you really were, then Beomgyu and you wouldn't have been such good friends."

For a moment, the world around them simply stops. Beomgyu's jaw touches the ground once again, but for a different reason entirely.

"Wha-?" Yeonjun turns to stare at Beomgyu with wide eyes, the Bear mirroring his expression. "How did you-"

"It's quite inconvenient," Taehyun says, stepping closer while scratching the bridge of his nose, "but when two people share their magic, they share a lot of other things as well. Whether they like it or not." He carefully angles his face away from his partner, back hunched. "Today- against my will- I learnt that Choi Beomgyu hates people who lie easily, hurt others for selfish reasons, and are huge assholes in general (Beomgyu's jaw drops a third time, because the No-Fun _Kang Taehyun_ did not just freaking _curse-_ ). He's the type that'll joke around with everybody, but rarely consider someone a good friend. And since he chose you, as his friend, it's logical enough to expect you wouldn't be a person like that. Not remotely.

"Thus," Taehyun concludes, in a voice that sounds like he's trying to get a point across to a person who is wholly dumb and idiotic, "I come to the conclusion that you're being ridiculous. You're _lying_. This whole explanation has also been quite the waste of time, so it'd be better if we abandon this topic and come down to the facts that actually matter."

There's silence for a moment, a minute. While the Bear in Beomgyu's head joyously rejoices ( _'See? I told you- he's a genius!'_ ), Yeonjun stares at the crimson-haired boy for a beat, then sighs.

"Fine," he huffs. He sounds both wary and tired. "What kinda facts do you wanna talk about?" He winces. "If it's about Soobin-"

"Everything about this is about Soobin-hyung, right?" Taehyun shrugs. "You know a lot of people in my group, Yeonjun-ssi. Don't you think someone is missing?"

"Huening Kai?" The older's eyes instantly widen. "Where is he? Did something happen-"

"He's fine," Beomgyu butts in before Taehyun could say something remotely catastrophic. "Don't worry, nothing happened-"

" _Of course_ something happened. Soobin-hyung got hurt." If Taehyun was trying to make the situation better, Beomgyu could swear on his life it _wasn't working_. "Huening Kai's at the Infirmary. He's stuck to Soobin's side since they took him to the Healer. Looked like he'd pretty much faint at the sight of all that blood- but, well."

"Shit," Yeonjun's face contorts into something ugly, made entirely out of frustration and guilt and something else. "Shit, he- he's mad at me, doesn't he? I hurt his friend. He must _hate_ me now."

"Okay, you're done," Beomgyu pushes at Taehyun's shoulder to move him away from the older. "You've done enough- you're hurting hyung's feelings, and it needs to stop now. Just, _back off_ -"

"No." With uncharacteristic strength- because Kang Taehyun was nothing but loud silence and higher-grade ink spells, as Beomgyu knew from experience- the younger shoves him back and urgently turns towards the senior. "Yeonjun-ssi, listen," his lips straighten into a line when Yeonjun looks up. "Kai looked in bad shape- true. Soobinie-hyung was hurt- also true. But no one hates you, do you get it?" His voice grows an octave louder, which is even more surprising. " _No one_ hates you, or blames you for anything. Everything's messed up, but you can set it right. That's all I'm saying."

Fleetingly, Beomgyu wonders if he has ever seen the younger talk so much and so quickly before (answer: he hasn't). Taehyun continues on though, as if he had a point to prove, a tricky problem to solve. "Believe me, I can read people. And I can very surely say that no one's mad at you, _yet_. But if you continue to mope around like this, doing nothing, then something's going to change, and people are going to start hating you for real."

Yeonjun looks up at him, mouth parted in awe. Or surprise. Or contemplation. Or maybe a mix of three and more- Beomgyu couldn't say.

 _'I can't believe this,'_ he says to a spirit who sounds positively elated. _'I can't believe I'm saying this but, the Squirrel's actually saying something right.'_

 _'What did I tell you?'_ the Bear says, voice shrill with giddiness. _'We bonded, you know? Me and the Squirrel. I wouldn't bond with just anybody, Gyu.'_

"Soobinie-hyung's a good partner to have," Taehyun says, his posture turning softer, voice growing quiet. "He's good partner, don't lose him. Set things right, Yeonjun-ssi. He needs you now."

As if jolted with an electric shock, Yeonjun jumps up from the grass, dark blue hair ruffling around his head in waves. He brushes the dirt off his clothes, the leaves off his attire- and the grim, determined resolve on his face suddenly reminds Beomgyu of the strong, charming, confident Choi Yeonjun he was too used to seeing. 

He won't lie; after all that transpired this afternoon, it's quite an incredible sight.

"Thank you," Yeonjun says, once to him and then to Taehyung. He holds the Squirrel's gaze for a bit longer, then goes: "Really, thank you very much. I needed that."

"No problem," Taehyun shrugs. "Couldn't have all my teammates being miserable throughout the day. Too much of a hassle."

Yeonjun smiles, a warm, pleased thing, ruffling Taehyun's hair in that annoying way Beomgyu tried too much to hate, but could never come to it. "You know, it's okay to say you like your teammates, no need to be shy." He grins wider when the younger feigns disinterest and simply looks down. "Also, drop the honourifics. You can call me _'hyung'_."

He takes off right after that, sprinting through the grass and shooting a thumbs-up back when Beomgyu hollers a _'Best of luck'_ at his wake. 

"Well. Now that was something." The straw-haired boy places a hand on his waist, carefully turning to his right. "Yah, Taehyun. Thanks for doing that."

"I did nothing," the Squirrel says quietly, starting to amble down in the direction of the cafeteria. "I just stepped in to do what you couldn't do. Nothing more, nothing less."

An angry vein instantly pops in Beomgyu's forehead.

 _'See? Now **that** is the reason I hate him so much,'_ he scowls as he begins to walk behind him, too. _'He's a rude, disrespecting little jerk.'_

 _'You'll warm up to him, I promise,'_ the Bear says, optimistic as ever. _'Just give it some time, Gyu. Also, can we go get something to eat? I'm kinda hungry.'_

The carpet of green grass sways under their feet as Beomgyu and his partner make their way across the grounds, stubbornly silent throughout.

**-**

  


****

**[CHOI YEONJUN: ONE MONTH AND TWO WEEKS AGO]**

  


"Okay, do I _really_ have to do this?"

  


The pretty girl with long bangs and big, round glasses irately huffs. " _Yes_ , Yeonjun," she says, a hand on her waist. "I know this isn't a big role, but it's important for the story of the play. Please take it seriously."

"But I don't _want_ to be in this play," Yeonjun groans, bending over his stomach, almost close to actual tears. "I'm telling you, it's a set-up! My friend tricked me- I didn't even know it was an audition! I really, really _don't_ -"

"Well, we've chosen the cast, and we're out of substitutes," the girl replies, checking her clipboard once and adjusting her glasses. "Tough luck, man. You have to do this."

"But do I _really_ need to-"

"Here's your script," the girl says, throwing at him a thin bundle of papers Yeonjun is idiot enough to instinctively catch. "We're counting on you. This is the best production we're having in years, so if you screw this up, you're _dead_."

The girl walks away without a second glance, the click-clack of her heels sounding like bells of doom in Yeonjun's ears. He sighs wearily, looking down at the script in his hands. _Romeo and Juliet: Script for Romeo's House Servant_. Frustrated, he groans again, cursing Choi Beomgyu and his brain of Witchcraft a thousand different things in his head.

"Okay, let's do this," he finally admits defeat, flipping through the script and staring at his lines. "Y'know, I don't even remember Romeo having a servant like this. How ridiculous."

He spreads his arms wide and begins to twirl, warming up to deliver his dialogue. In the midst of singing, twirling and internally badmouthing his friend, he doesn't notice the awed pair of eyes staring fixedly at him.

**-**

  


It's almost evening, the clouds slowly- then quickly- turning crimson and purple, by the time he reaches the camp's Infirmary.

  


Yeonjun pants, takes in a good few breathes. The vicinity is empty, and he just saw their resident Healer Kim Seokjin step out to grab some refreshments, so he supposes he could have ample privacy to talk things out with Soobin. He shakes his head to clear away lingering insecurities, takes a step forward- then abruptly freezes.

Huening Kai was standing right in front of the door to the Resting Room. Instinctively, Yeonjun gulps.

"Hey, hyung," the younger says when he notices him, his usually peppy voice oddly guarded and mellow. "You, uh... You're here to see Soobinie-hyung?"

"..Yeah," Yeonjun says, limbs going rigid. He uncomfortably lowers his eyes. "Um, look. Kai. I just wanted to say-"

"He's inside," Kai cuts him off before he could finish. Slowly, he steps away from the door, letting Yeonjun in but not meeting his gaze. Or even looking up. "He's still resting, so be a bit.. gentle. Please. I'll be here."

His chest seizing painfully, Yeonjun tries again. "Kai, I-"

"If you want to talk, please go," the younger purses his lips, opting to stare out of a stray window. He doesn't even _look_ at him. "The Healer said hyung needs to sleep properly tonight. Please, talk out whatever you want, then let him rest."

Fists clenching, the guilt almost choking his throat, Yeonjun steps forward and bypasses Huening Kai to finally enter the Resting Room.

  


It's a small, dimly-lit room; the open windows let in orange streaks of sunlight, a few flower vases livening up the plain sight of long, sterile beds, adorned with pristine white pillows and white bed-sheets. The room currently has only one occupant, at the last bed in the corner; Soobin sits up and leans against his pillow to glance outside a window, feet disappearing into the covers, his right arm gently cradling the other that was heavily wrapped in bandages. Willing himself to move, the blue-haired boy softly makes his way across, readying himself to speak. _Properly_.

"Hey... Soobin."

Soobin looks up right when he approaches. His dark brown eyes widen visibly.

"Oh- Yeonjun-ssi?"

The blue-haired boy winces, maybe at the formal use of words, or maybe because Soobin's soft voice sounding softer and actually _surprised_ stabs his chest with even more guilt. Yeonjun stiffly rubs the back of his neck, trying to avoid eye-contact. "..Hey," he says carefully, staring at the bandages wrapped around Soobin's hand. "Are you.. Are you feeling better? Fine? Does it still hurt?"

"No," Soobin replies instantly, shaking his head. "It doesn't hurt, I'm fine. What about you?"

"What about me?" Yeonjun asks, fiddling with his hair. "I'm not the one who got hurt. I'm the one who hurt _you_. Nothing happened to _me_." He finally looks up, gaze a sad, somber caramel. "Nothing happened to me, yet you got hurt for no reason. I'm so, so sorry."

"No!" Soobin abruptly straightens, flailing his arms when Yeonjun starts to bow low in deep apology. "No, wait, please-" he says, pitch sounding higher, eyes frantic. "Please don't do that, Yeonjun-ssi. It wasn't your fault, I _swear_. You're not one to blame, please don't apologise!"

Yeonjun pulls his spine erect to stare at his partner with a conflicted expression. "Soobin, I know you're kind and all- but I'm pretty sure you're the only person in the world who thinks that." He angles his head down, biting his bottom lip. "I'm the one who hurt you. All this is my fault. I should be apologising to you a _thousand_ times over-"

" _No_ ," the taller boy stresses out, looking vaguely shell-shocked at cutting the older off, but determined nonetheless. "No, please, just- just take a seat first." He points with his right hand at an empty chair near his bed, on which Yeonjun awkwardly seats himself. It earns him a tiny smile from Soobin, the sight of which simply tightens the ball of guilt that had been blocking Yeonjun's airways. 

It must've shown on his face, because suddenly Soobin stops smiling as well.

"Yeonjun-ssi," the Rabbit starts, meek and polite as ever, "I want to tell you that all this is _not_ your fault." He quickly pushes through when Yeonjun opens his mouth to protest, holding up a couple of non-bandaged fingers. "No, please. Listen. You're not the _only_ one who's at fault. I think, given our natures, the blame is on both of us. Equally."

"How?" Yeonjun's brows furrow down. "How can you say that? _I_ was the one who couldn't control my magic- you were the one who got hurt. What's _your_ fault?"

"You're right, it does seem like that," Soobin nods. "But since we're both aware of our spirits and their drawbacks, I think we both should've been a bit more careful." His lips stretch into a smile when the older tilts his head in confusion. "Think about it. Both of us knew what the other's spirit was, right?" 

Yeonjun nods blankly; they'd never discussed it, but they certainly knew that. He knew about Soobin's spirit, and everybody knew his. Kinda like an open secret. 

"Traditionally, our spirits would be considered incompatible. Since we both knew how conflicting their natures could be, we should've been more careful. We shouldn't have pushed ourselves too much, or challenged our boundaries. We should've taken it slow, but we didn't. Our spirits got defensive, our magic clashed- and _that's_ why this happened."

Amicably, as if his left hand wasn't rendered almost useless, the taller boy shrugs. "If anything, we're both at fault here. Me getting hurt was simply.. an accident. It's nothing you should be taking all the blame for."

 _An accident._ Beomgyu had said that too. But could Yeonjun really believe it?

"Sorry, but I can't accept it," he says after a moment, because that was the truth. "I still think I hurt you. Call me stupid, but I still think it's completely my fault."

Quietly, Soobin stares at him for a long moment. The dying rays of sunlight fall upon his midnight-dark hair like drops of starlight, bathing the strands in shimmering glitter. His soft, fair skin looks softer, glows brighter; the crumpled blue shirt sticks to him like second skin, outlining the curve of his back and the angles of his physique. He had always been slim, kinda lanky, an absolute _dork_ in behaviour- but there was this intense charm that surrounded him. A soft, subtle thing, something that wouldn't be easily noticed; but once it was, it might just hit you straight in the face, like a hurtling freight train, stupendously overwhelming.

This was it. Like all those months ago, Choi Yeonjun found himself hit with the entire presence of Choi Soobin totally out of the blue. And he didn't mind it, not at all.

But did he really deserve it?

"Yeonjun-ssi?"

"Yeah?" Yeonjun tears himself out of his daze. Soobin was looking down, fiddling with the wraps around his fingers.

"My.. spirit," he says, not looking up. "My spirit asked me to stay away from you." Yeonjun stiffens at that, eyes going wide. "But, I don't want to. I don't want to avoid you, or change groups, or.. anything like that. I dunno about you, but this is what I want."

"Why?" Yeonjun could feel his voice crack a little, eyes stinging again. "Why do you _still_ want to? Wasn't this enough? We have different natures- if we stay together, it's going to happen again. You'll get _hurt_ , why can't you see that?"

Soobin doesn't say anything, so Yeonjun just hurtles on. "Why do you still want this? Why do you still want... _me_?"

"Because we're partners." Finally, the taller guy looks up, and there's something different on his face. His usually shy, timid features were firm, eyes calm and determined, the curve of his lips seemingly soft but absolute. "The lights paired us up because we were compatible, right? I didn't understand that at first, but now I do. And I want it to stay." Yeonjun bites his lip at how Soobin's voice goes a pitch higher. "I want us to _stay_ , Yeonjun-ssi. We're partners... and partners don't leave each other just like that, right? I don't want to, too."

He then angles his face away. "Of course, if _you_ want to, then we could," his voice turns low, morose. "Your opinion matters, too. So if you want-"

"Soobin."

Soobin looks up at him. Yeonjun has all of a second to inhale shortly before he's saying:

"I want to remain partners with you, too."

It's just a short, crisp statement; only a few handful words, said in an even, vaguely breathless tone. It's nothing special, nothing- nothing _too_ remarkable- and yet, Yeonjun feels a warm, overwhelming feeling surge through his chest and crash over him. He keeps his expression cool, as if he wasn't bursting inside- but then Soobin's face breaks out into a wide, grateful smile, and trying to continue doing that just becomes that much harder.

"Thank you," he says, eyes splattered with stars. "Thank you, Yeonjun-ssi, I-"

"Just call me _'hyung_ ," Yeonjun cuts him off, because he honestly couldn't take it anymore. "We're partners, so no need to be so formal. And-" he clasps his fingers together, head bowing, "I'm still sorry. I know you said I shouldn't be, but I am. I'm sorry, and I promise I'll try my best to not to do that ever again. Hurt you... like I did today."

Soobin simply nods. "Okay." He'd always been too kind, too understanding.

They sit in silence for a while, watching the Sun set, a garden of stars suddenly sprouting through the purple, silvery clouds. The wind blows sweetly through the place, blowing up the curtains, ruffling Soobin's hair, making Yeonjun trip a little more into what he knows is going to end up in absolute heartbreak and disaster. He doesn't mind it though; he doesn't mind it one bit.

Inside his head, he feels his spirit slowly, finally waking up.

"So, what now?" he says, because the silence had stretched on for long, and it looked like Shy and Awkward Choi Soobin was soon going to make a comeback. "Shall we get back to our cabin? Or do you want to spend the night here?"

"The Healer said it'd be better if I slept here tonight," Soobin says, scratching his nape. "Sorry. You can go back- I'll see you tomorrow?"

Yeonjun gets up from his chair and heads for the door. "Lemme just bring in my pillows." When Soobin makes a choked, confused sound, he only shrugs and says, "What? I'm not letting you spend the night here all alone."

"Um, Ning Ning- I mean, Kai said he'd be here."

"So? The more the merrier," Yeonjun spares him a small smile before starting to walk away again. "Maybe it'd be better, too. You- at least your spirit would feel safe in not being alone with a Predator at night. It's for the best."

A strange silence greets that comment. Just before he reaches for the doorknob and twists it open, he hears Soobin squeak out his name.

"Um, Yeonjun-hyung?"

"Yeah?" Yeonjun turns. Soobin sits hunched on the bed, the covers bunching into wrinkles in his lap.

"Um- uh- there's something that you don't know yet. I think." His face twists into a vaguely embarrassed wince. "I know I'm a Herbivore and- we generally tend to stick with our own groups, but- I've never had many friends, and.. you're not.. the first Predator I've been close with, you know?"

"Really?" Considering Soobin's generally shy nature, this piece of information was almost shocking. "Who is it? Is it someone I might know?"

"Um, yes," Soobin says, scrunching his nose. "He's standing right outside that door."

Yeonjun's eyes widen. _Wait a minute-_ "What?" His grip on the doorknob slackens. "You mean- _Huening Kai_? How? He's- he's always so cute and childish, he doesn't even behave like a-"

"Yeah, it's a bit.. complicated. Don't tell him I said that though." Soobin's wince morphs into a soft, tiny smile. "I know he doesn't act like it, but he's definitely a Carnivore. So... what you said about not being alone with a Predator? It's not viable. I don't care about those Prey-Predator distinctions, but my spirit might have a heart attack if it knows that we'll be alone with _two_ Predators at night. And _then_ the Healer would kick both of you out, and it'll be a _lot_ of trouble for you."

"Oh.. What a bummer," Yeonjun says, because he has nothing else to say. "I'm still not leaving you alone though."

Before Soobin could try deter him any more, he turns the doorknob and steps out of the room. He greets Kai near the porch, crisply informing him that he'll be joining them tonight, then breaks into a sprint towards his cabin. Maybe they required permission to sleep in the Resting Room, or permission to sleep outside their cabins, but he doesn't care. All that matters was for him to stick close to Soobin, look after his needs, and see that he recovered. All that mattered was for Yeonjun to help him through everything, deepen their bond, and try to make this thing work. Even if their arrangement virtually sucked.

Because that's what _partners_ were for. And that's what he wanted to do.

 _'Wow, feeling pretty charitable, are we?'_ the Fox grumbles lowly in his ears. _'I hate to say this, but I take it that your discussion went well?'_

 _'The best,'_ Yeonjun says, because that was the truth. _'Thank you for not interfering. It was a healthy, distraction-free conversation.'_

_'Oh, now I regret it. Let's go back to being sad and guilty, at least your attitude was better.'_

Yeonjun breaks into a big smile, and jogs onward.

**-**

  


****

**[CHOI SOOBIN: ONE MONTH AND TWO WEEKS AGO]**

  


_'Oh, he's beautiful.'_

  


_'Soobin,'_ for once, the Rabbit doesn't sound sleepy or bored while remarking something in it's slow, lazy drawl. _'Please, stop. You're breaking the rules.'_

 _'What rules?'_ Soobin ignores the voice in his head in favour of staring at the senior only a few metres away from them. _'There're no rules that stop me from admiring someone. Don't make things up.'_

 _'Soobin, it's a **Predator** ,'_ the Rabbit says the word as if it's vile. For it, it most probably was. _'We already hang out with that Huening Kai kid more than necessary. Stop this- Choi Yeonjun is a Fox. A Rabbit's most horrible disaster. Stop staring at him and let's go.'_

 _'Choi Yeonjun-sunbaenim is an incredible person. Don't try to convince me otherwise.'_ Soobin ducks his head when the senior suddenly looks his way. _'He's smart, confident, talented, and good at everything. He's a star, with a great personality- so just because he's a Fox doesn't mean we should typecast him. That's horribly unfair.'_

 _' **You're** horribly unfair,'_ his spirit laments forlornly. _'What did I ever ask of you? Let me sleep, let me live a peaceful life, and stay away from Predators. Why can't you give me even one out of these?'_

_'Hey, I do let you sleep! Always.'_

_'You mixing with Carnivores automatically ruins my sleep. And my peaceful life. They're correlated.'_ Soobin only rolls his eyes at that. _'No, seriously. Of all the people in the world, how did you only find that Fox to have a crush on?'_

 _'It's **not** a crush,'_ Soobin vehemently denies, cheeks flaming. _'It's- remember when Professor Lee said we could be potential partners for organising the Talent Show together? I was so excited to work on that, I researched a lot about him and.. it just happened. He's really cool. And admirable. Of course, we won't be working together since he took a role in the play, but-'_ he sighs, trying not to feel too dejected. _'It's okay. At least this way, I got to learn a lot about him. And saved myself from the embarrassment of creating a bad first impression. Probably.'_

 _'Yeah, you're a social disaster,'_ the Rabbit agrees. _'But thank God you two didn't become partners. A lucky save.'_

 _'Yeah..'_ Soobin trails off. He tears his gaze away from Yeonjun, to the stack of books in his hands. _'Anyways, gotta work. Let's go.'_

As he leaves the clearing and takes off in the direction of the Library, he thinks it was just a case of bad luck. He had always been strangely unlucky; there was no away a person like him could end up being partners with _Choi Yeonjun_ , but even entertaining the idea for a minute had been... exciting. The absolute best. He sighs again, then drops that train of thought consciously. There was no use in being negative.

After all, Soobin wasn't _that_ unlucky. He could get good things too... sometimes. Maybe he would get another chance, somewhere else, and maybe that time things could actually work out between them.

 _Imagine, me and Choi Yeonjun, being partners._ He slaps a hand to his forehead. _Oh, that's impossible. I'm going crazy again._

  


Choi Soobin walks on and on, books in hand, and never turns back to notice the dark, caramel eyes staring fixedly at his wake.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was a lengthy update! This chapter took me sooo long to edit, I'm officially convinced I caNNOt write long, proper conversations. I'm sorry if this chapter was a mess, but I hope you liked a glimpse of their past- more shall come, don't worry! And again, if you like this story, feel free to share your thoughts, they inspire me to write more and more!
> 
> Until then, please stay safe, take care, and have a great day/night, everyone! Bye bye! :))


	5. A Useful Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy, everyone! And please stick around till the end, something's coming! :))

  


**_First Week:_ ** _Day 3_

  


"Mind it, I would've kicked you _both_ out if your friend hadn't specifically asked me not to."

  


Yeonjun winces, ducking his head- and sees Huening Kai do the same as well. The resident Healer of K-Camp, Kim Seokjin, places both hands on his hips and eyes them sternly, lips frowning. He was a beautiful man, a little too handsome to be completely human, but that scary voice and even scarier aura emanating from him is enough to reduce both the students into cowering, half-terrified messes.

"Um, Doctor Jin," Soobin meekly says, coming to their rescue. "I'm sorry, I apologise on their behalf. They didn't mean to-"

"Aish, you kids these days," the Healer rolls his eyes in mock reproach, proceeding to sigh dramatically. "To remind you, Soobin-ssi, _you_ were my patient. And your friends, _both_ Predators, went against my advice and spent the night with you on the condition that they will not disturb you, and let you rest. _Of course_ that didn't happen, and your spirit got restless. They didn't let you get the rest you deserved, and now _you're_ the one apologising for them? What a joke." Despite his words, Kim Seokjin softens his glare, voice lowering an octave. "It's okay to be kind, Soobin-ssi. But don't be an idiot.

"And as for the two of you," the Healer turns once again onto Yeonjun and Huening Kai. "If you want to make up for your mistake, then take care of your friend and see that he gets some rest. Also, I shouldn't see any _one_ of you inside my clinic again, or you'll have a storm coming, kiddos." Flapping his hands, he makes shooing gestures at them. "Now go. Scram. Enjoy your day, I've got too much work to do."

The boys turn around to slowly trudge the way back to their cabins. One look at their wrinkled, upturned faces, and Soobin bursts out laughing.

"Hey, you guys," he grins, hiding a chuckle under his non-bandaged hand. "Don't look so down. It wasn't your fault, my spirit is just very, _very_ prone to getting spooked. Sorry."

"It _was_ our fault, a little," Huening Kai mumbles, automatically coming to stick near Soobin's side. "Also, the Healer is really very _scary_. I really thought he was going to turn us into toads and lock us up in tiny glass bottles."

" _I_ thought he was casting a wandless Heat-Hazer over us," Yeonjun lowly mutters. "Felt like I was melting on the spot, almost. He's _terrifying_."

Soobin laughs, again. "For your information, Doctor Jin was an awesome, caring, perfectly amicable person up until the moment he found out I couldn't sleep a wink last night." He clasps a hand around Kai's shoulders, patting him encouragingly. "He's actually _really_ kind and soft-spoken, and very easy to talk to. He was just upset that I couldn't rest- but it's not like I needed to anyway." He flexes his bandaged hand casually, trying to show off. "See? I'm _fine_. No need to worry 'bout it."

"You need ample rest to recover, Soobin," Yeonjun says. "I shouldn't have insisted on joining you."

"Me neither." That comes from Huening Kai. "Sorry, hyung. I didn't know Mr. Rabbit would get so scared of us."

Soobin laughs, catching Yeonjun's eye as the older hides a small chuckle at the freshman's words. "It's okay," he pats Kai on the back again, hugging him tighter. "Mr. Rabbit needs to get braver. Also, Doctor Jin is _not_ scary, okay? He's an awesome, superb human being, and that scolding just showed how much he really cares about his patients."

The other two boys let out loud, petulant groans at that. Soobin simply shakes his head at the reaction, and smiles all the way back to their cabin under the quiet Summer morning.

**-**

  


"Hey, you okay there?" Instructor Kim Taehyung grabs the Rabbit the moment they enter Cabin C. "God, I've been _worried_. Are you in pain? Does anything hurt anywhere?"

  


Yeonjun stares from the doorway as Soobin clutches his bandaged hand and shyly lets the Instructor inspect it, shaking his head. The older man looks worried, a dent in his forehead, as he advises Soobin on what to do and what not, on how to take the day easy and rest. Yeonjun fidgets a little near the entrance, feeling awkward, but thinks he should let them talk a bit, anyway.

"Oh. Did you guys spend the night at the Clinic? Didn't see you here yesterday."

The blue-haired boy turns to see the tall, lithely muscular figure of Jeon Jungguk standing expectantly on the porch. The most Yeonjun had seen of the Instructor was during their Strength-Enhancing class; he had a habit of waking up the earliest and going to bed the latest out of them four, and this was probably the first time the younger was even talking with him. Yeonjun gulps; the Instructor had an open, easy-going vibe, a young yet handsome face; but after the events that went down yesterday, he has this little itch at the back of his mind. An itch that made him doubt. A traitorous voice that troubled him, whispered in his ears, about how people might start being wary of him.

It was a feeling that said everyone might secretly be blaming him. For hurting his partner; for being a violent, uncontrollable Predator.

"Um," he gulps, feeling unusually nervous. "Um, yeah. We slept in the Resting Room. My partner was... injured yesterday."

"Oh. I hope he is alright now?" Jeon Jungguk smiles when Yeonjun nods, then hums confusedly. "That doesn't explain why Jin-hyung was grumbling at the cafeteria though. Must've had a lot of paperwork to do."

The blue-haired boy awkwardly smiles. Looks like all the Coordinators here were quite close.

"Junggukie!" Instructor Taehyung shouts from inside, and like an immediate reaction, Instructor Jungguk bypasses Yeonjun to stroll inside the cabin. "Hi, I was just leaving. You ready for the Meet?"

"Yup," Jeon Jungguk says, exchanging a polite hello with Soobin. "Hyung, did you get everything? We gotta round up the students now."

"Um, what's this Meet about?" Soobin speaks up curiously. Yeonjun finally comes to stand beside him as well.

Instructor Kim Taehyung peeks out from behind the taller figure of Jungguk, a handsome, boxy grin on his face. "Check out your Schedule, kids," he says, deep voice laced with laughter and amusement. "You've gotta complete missions today!"

 _'Wow, great,'_ the Fox remarks inside Yeonjun's head, having finally awoken. _'Another mission. I hope we do something good today- I'm totally **not** ready to go back into that forest again.'_

 _'Yeah, me too,'_ Yeonjun replies, gulping uncertainly. _'Let's just hope for the best.'_

**-**

  


It has been proven on several occasions before, that Yeonjun's life had something very personal against him. A grudge perhaps, or some sort of resentment of a particularly _monumental_ degree. Whatever it was, it should, thus, come as no surprise that on hoping for the best, the very _worst_ of events were to come to pass; in this case- the particular mission that his team got assigned to, which, due to recent circumstances, could also be translated as one of his spirit's worst _nightmares_.

 _'Oh, my life,'_ the Fox wails loudly in his head. _'Oh, you lousy human, you're the unluckiest of your kind. I **hate** you.'_

 _'You say that one more time, and I'm straight-up jinxing you,'_ Yeonjun retorts, standing on his tip-toes to try reach at the absurdly ripe fruit hanging from an absurdly high branch. _'I told you we can't change the missions that we're given- we gotta do this. Now stop crying.'_

_'How can I not cry when we're back here again? In this weird, confusing forest, where every turn spells confusion-'_

_'One more word,'_ Yeonjun warns, his patience running thin. He pulls himself up to his full height, stretching his arms. _'One more word, and- oh goddamnit, why can't I reach it?'_

There's a little movement behind him, and suddenly a fair, larger hand is stretching out beside his. "Here," Soobin smiles as he easily plucks the fruit and holds it out to Yeonjun, very obviously using his height to his advantage. Yeonjun tries not to pout, rather irked at their differences, accepting the fruit gingerly.

Soobin's smile grows wider. "You know, compared to our last mission, this one seems pretty easy." He looks around the trees, a bit warily. "I hope there'll be no mist today."

"You bet," Yeonjun says, tossing the crimson fruit into his largely-full handheld basket. "The Instructors promised us there'll be no funny business. Pretty sure the students might've revolted otherwise."

A hand over his lips, Soobin laughs cutely, his dimples making an appearance. "It was quite the uproar," he admits, looking down at his own, heavy basket of colourful fruits. "I'm glad we were just told to collect eatables. Not sure I might've been much help otherwise."

Yeonjun's eyes flick down to the younger's bandaged hand. "Does it still hurt?" he asks, glancing up. His lips form a curved, concerned frown. "You keep saying that you're fine, but you can tell me if you're in pain, you know? We can get you some help."

"I'm fine, _really_ ," Soobin waves his hands around, brows arching. "It's just a little sore, that's all." He gives his partner a cheerful smile, flashing a thumbs-up. "It's fine. I've got an appointment with Doctor Jin scheduled in the evening. He'll take care of me, don't worry."

"Let's hurry up and finish this mission then," Yeonjun turns around to gaze searchingly at the tall, surrounding trees. "My spirit has been chewing my head for hours. Let's get out of here already."

  


Around fifteen minutes later, two baskets full of _eatables_ in hand, Yeonjun and Soobin trudge down the leafy, sloped forest path. There's silence between them, comfortably filled with whispers of the wind and the humming of insects and a few random bird-calls. Yeonjun steps cautiously, taking care not to trip over or slip on something, keeping an eye out for Soobin as well. The taller guy was talented, and cute, but sometimes was too clumsy for his own good.

"Hey, Soobin," he says conversationally, a little later. "Mind if I ask you a question?"

"Hmm?" Soobin perks up, glancing at him with wide eyes. Yeonjun bites down a smile at the warmth that spreads inside his chest.

"Say... What were you saying about Huening Kai yesterday?"

The younger's eyes widen even more. "Oh," he says, lips forming a cute, surprised pout. "Oh, that. Uh," he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, lowering his gaze. "Sorry, but.. I don't think it's my place to tell you. I mean, he's a Carnivore, sure. But the specific nature of his spirit is... a bit complicated, so. I think it'll be better if he told you about it himself." He scrunches up his face apologetically. "Sorry, hyung."

"It's okay," Yeonjun shrugs in reply. "I get your point, don't sweat it."

They talk in bits and pieces then; about the weather, the camp, about how easy things could be if this was a _normal_ educational camp. It's nothing too personal, just a general sharing of very general opinions- and pathetic though it may be, Yeonjun thinks that's good progress. Good friendships needed to have a solid base to build upon, with time and patience, and to reach the stage where he could easily converse with his partner about random things was definitely a good start.

Things were still rough between him and Huening Kai, he knew. They might've both kept Soobin company last night, but they hadn't exchanged a word between themselves. The kid had actively tried to not show his feelings, tried to hide how sad and upset he really was, and Yeonjun appreciated that. He appreciated how Kai looked out for Soobin, how he cared for him; how, even when he was mad at someone, he didn't let it show. Contrary to all expectations, that was very mature behaviour to come from him, and Yeonjun appreciated and respected his choices.

Because of that though, precisely, he was determined to set things right with Kai. He couldn't leave things stagnant between them- he _had_ to mend it.

He just needed to find a good opportunity.

**-**

  


The third day of the First week was close to ending, and Yeonjun had still not found a good opportunity.

  


"Oh, goddamnit."

After completing their mission (for which he and Soobin got four points, _finally_ ), they'd spent the rest of the day attending their classes. Yeonjun had tried out Animal Whispering with his partner today, taught by a very enthusiastic Kim Taehyung; but he had kept the Voice Modulation and Strength-Enhancing classes only so that he could get a chance to talk with Kai. Surprisingly, the kid had attended neither of them, and on some discreet questioning, Yeonjun got to know he hadn't been to their third shared class as well. He had taken up three completely different subjects, even though the blue-haired boy clearly remembers him raving about wanting to retake all of Instructor Jung Hoseok's lessons.

In short, Huening Kai was straight up _avoiding_ him. Yeonjun buries his face into his pillow and groans loudly.

"Hyung?"

He turns his head, cheek against the pillow, to look at Soobin meekly staring up at him. He was lying on the upper bunk bed in his cabin, after dinner, probably looking like the messiest person in the world. He wants to set things right with Kai, as soon as possible, but he really doesn't want Soobin to worry about him. So he tries.

"Hey," he smiles, hoping to act it cool. "How did the check-up go? Are you okay?"

In reply, Soobin lifts his hand to show him the fresh new set of bandages around his fingers, smiling winningly. "Doctor Jin said it's getting better," he says, eyes twinkling brightly. "He said if I rest well, I could get the bandages off in just a few days. He also gave me some pills- they were _so_ bitter, let me tell you- but it's supposed to induce deep sleep."

"That's good," Yeonjun replies. The door of the cabin unlocks as Instructor Kim Taehyung enters to get ready for bed. "Sleep well then. Goodnight."

"Good night, hyung. Sleep well too."

As he lies quiet in the pitch darkness, amidst the soft snores of his cabin-mates and the loud buzzing of fireflies outside, Yeonjun vows to set things right with Huening Kai tomorrow. He would find him, he would talk to him, and apologise for his actions. Properly.

He falls asleep quickly enough, anxiously waiting for the next day to arrive.

**-**

  


**_First Week:_ ** _Day 4_

**-**

  


The next day comes and goes, and it is just as fruitless as the previous one.

  


  


For some ungodly reason (or maybe he was just being stupid), Yeonjun chooses three completely random lessons today (because he couldn't let his options go to waste for simply trying to meet up with a _kid_ ), only to later discover that Huening Kai had gone back to attend the same classes he had the day before (regardless to say, Instructor Jung Hoseok was _very_ satisfied). It's clear the kid is almost as intelligent as they come, having the sense to re-route his whole schedule to avoid running into the senior. Yeonjun _had_ to give him props for that.

Freshman or not, Huening Kai was making him feel pretty stupid. He did _not_ appreciate this feeling.

_'Why not? You're clearly the stupidest human **I've** ever seen.'_

Yeonjun simply rolls his eyes, and huffs dramatically.

  


He had decided to check out one of Instructor Min Yoongi's lessons today. The man was short, always looking tired or sleepy or grumpy (or sometimes all three), but he had some of the neatest, most useful Charms tricks to offer than any Yeonjun had ever seen. He'd met up with Taehyun there (who always seemed to be present in Instructor Yoongi's classes); Yeonjun had remembered to thank him once again for the _pep-talk_ he'd given him, and more-or-less tried enjoying the company. Thought Distortion and Smell-Enhancing charms were always his strong points- but the Underwater Breathing incantation had been a completely new learning, and he was determined to master it within the end of this camp.

This place was weird and all- but it did have some _freaking good_ classes.

An hour of Food Magic later (which, surprisingly, had been taken by none other than Doctor Kim Seokjin), Yeonjun crashes into his seat at the cafeteria, hastily ordering whatever heavy meal he could think of in the orderpad. He slumps back into the chair, exhausted, and does not look up when the seat opposite to him is pushed back and unflinchingly sat upon.

"Yo," Beomgyu greets him, sounding vaguely out of breath. "You look handsome today, hyung."

"Shut up," Yeonjun groans, a hand over his eyes. "I've got only a fifteen-minute break, and this cafeteria is like a whole mile away from the Healer's Clinic. It's like University all over again."

"What a coincidence. I was thinking that exact _fucking_ thing." Yeonjun is too tired to rebuke the younger for his language, and it isn't that he's very wrong, anyways. "But it's good I got to meet you here. I've got a question for you."

"Shoot."

The straw-haired boy props his body on his elbows and conspiratorially leans forward. "So," he says, eyes glinting, "What's the deal going on between you and Huening Kai?"

Slowly, Yeonjun removes the hand from his eyes, opting to stare blankly up at the ceiling. "The deal between me and Huening Kai.." he repeats, feigning thought, then straightening up. "What's going on between us?"

"Hyung, I _swear_ ," Beomgyu huffs, leaning away. "You try acting dumb one more time, and I'm going to go all nuclear on you. No holds barred."

"As if that one time during Drama Season wasn't enough," Yeonjun sarcastically quips; then blinks. "Now that I think about it, I never got back to you for that, did I?"

"We're straying off-topic," the Bear skillfully steers the conversation back in his favour. With a more serious voice, he says, "I'm not blind, hyung, I've got _eyes_. Something's clearly going on between you and the kid. What is it?"

Yeonjun simply stares back at Beomgyu's face, unblinking. The younger sighs.

"Okay, lemme make a guess. Is it about the incident with Soobin?"

Feeling his shoulders droop, the blue-haired boy nods dejectedly.

"Okay... What about it?"

"I've not cleared things with Kai yet," the older boy finally replies. He glances out of the window just as a steaming bowl of ramen magically appears on his side of the table. "Like, I want to talk to him about it, _apologise_ \- but I feel like- no, I _know_ that he's avoiding me. I understand, I _do_ , but I can't let this go on. Kai's Soobin's friend, and I'm his partner, so he deserves an apology. A good explanation. I'm just looking for a chance to catch him alone, 'cause I'm pretty sure he won't listen to me otherwise."

"So, you're like, going to explain why that happened, and... assure him it'll never happen again?"

"I'll try," Yeonjun nods. "Once I get the chance."

"Oh, okay," Beomgyu shrugs, fiddling with his pockets. "Well, he _has_ been pretty down lately," he remarks while unwrapping the protein bar he got from the vending machine and taking a hearty bite. "Did I ever tell you that Taehyun took in two more ducklings under his care? The kid usually loves them- I hate them by the way, they think my hair is _food_ \- but recently, he won't properly play with them. I think Taehyun noticed that too, he just doesn't care enough to point it out. It's just... I don't want the team morale to be down. Or you to be unhappy." He bristles when Yeonjun shoots him a small smile. "I mean- if there's anything I can do to help, just tell me. I'd be happy to."

"When did you become such a sap?" Yeonjun grins as he separates his chopsticks and finally digs into the food. "I think living with Taehyun is making you soft, Gyu."

"Oh, please, it's _crazy_ ," the younger boy huffs. "I'm waiting for the day I'll be rid of him."

Morphing his face into something more genuine, Yeonjun says, "It's okay, Beomgyu. Thanks for offering. But I think I'm going to handle this myself." He shoots him a grateful smile, all stretched lips and crinkled eyes. "You guys have done too much, anyway. Let _me_ sort things out this time."

"Just a reminder, the pep-talk that day was all Taehyun," Beomgyu says with his mouth full, brows furrowing. "Honestly, I was so _shocked_ \- that's the most I've ever seen him speak. I didn't know that Squirrel even had it in him."

"You also claimed that you guys weren't compatible, and now look what happened. Magic doesn't lie, Gyu."

Yeonjun cackles evilly as a protein bar wrapper is furiously thrown his way. It narrowly misses his head, but the deep blush that rests high on Beomgyu's cheeks stays there for the entirety of their lunch.

**-**

  


The Sun sets on another day at K-Camp, and Choi Yeonjun thinks he has finally gotten a hang of this place.

  


**(** Oh, he couldn't have been more wrong. This place was downright _crazy_. **)**

**-**

  


**_First Week:_ ** _Day 5_

**-**

  


"A VERY GOOD MORNING, MY FELLOW ANIMALS," the General Coordinator greets them loudly at the Rock as usual; and once again Yeonjun finds himself wondering why did the man even need a loudspeaker in the first place. "I HOPE YOU'RE ALL WARMED UP AND READY, BECAUSE TODAY IS AN _IMPORTANT_ DAY." He gives the students a bright, brilliant smile, continuing: "TODAY, YOU ALL SHALL BE GIVEN A VERY COMMON, VERY EASY, BUT VERY USEFUL MISSION. IS EVERYONE READY?"

A few people in the crowd murmur weak noises of assent. Yeonjun chuckles at the way Soobin vehemently nods beside him.

Instructor Jung Hoseok isn't quite discouraged; instead, he gets even more excited. "VERY WELL. NOW HERE ARE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS." He swishes his wand high in the sky, and amidst a shower of fairydust, several large, rolled, blank sheets of paper magically appear in front of the students. "I EXPECT YOU'VE ALL GOT ONE SCROLL FOR EACH GROUP. NOW, LISTEN CAREFULLY.

"THE OBJECTIVE OF YOUR MISSION IS TO START FROM YOUR CABINS, AND MAKE YOUR WAY ACROSS THE WHOLE CAMP COMPOUND, MAPPING THE PLACES AS YOU GO." He shows them exactly how it's done. "THESE ARE MAPPING SCROLLS. TRY TO ENTER EVERY DETAIL YOU SEE- A POOL, A BUILDING, EVEN A VERY LARGE TREE- TRY TO FIT IN AS MANY THINGS AS YOU CAN, AND CREATE YOUR OWN MAP OF THE CAMP. SEE THAT YOU RETURN TO YOUR CABINS BY SUNDOWN, AND ACCORDING TO THE SKILL, EFFORT, AND AMOUNT OF DETAIL, EACH MAP SHALL BE GRADED, AND YOUR GROUPS SHALL BE GIVEN A POINT."

He stops to take a breath, eyeing the crowd brightly. "THAT'S IT. ANY QUESTIONS?"

There aren't many, except for the confusion as to _why_ they'd even need such a map. Yeonjun has learnt by now that it's futile to voice such queries, so he simply shakes his head, and walks back to his cabin with Soobin.

"Let's start from here, shall we?" He looks around the porch, trying his best to see it in a brand new light. "What do you think we should add in the map?"

"How about that big cherry tree?" Soobin points at the leafy, green tree growing close beside them. "It's not blooming yet, but it's bigger than most trees in the place, so... maybe that's important?"

"All right," Yeonjun swishes his wand, and immediately a small dot with the words _'Cherry Tree'_ written on top appears on the paper, near the large, brown dot signifying their cabin. "Let's go this way, then."

And so they go. They start walking, making a round of the campus, and the next few hours are spent slowly, curiously, brooding over landmarks and exchanging ideas and arguing over which colour the cafeteria dot should be (it's an important place, okay? Non-food lovers wouldn't understand). They lock their heads and huddle close, trying to find details, landmarks, laughing about nothing. They make their way from the grassy running grounds to the edges of the rocky hill; from the tiny cafeteria and the camp library to the mysterious Activity Arena (which wasn't open to the students yet). They walk all the way from the gym to the Lake, and even brush around the outskirts of the forest. K-Camp was a really big, really vast place, with several notable things to see- so it takes them a while to walk across, factoring in everything, but in the end they manage it anyway.

"Damn it, my legs are falling asleep," Yeonjun complains when they are roaming near the clear blue waters of the lake. "Let's sit down for a bit, shall we? We're almost done, anyway."

"I was going to suggest the same thing," Soobin smiles as they drift closer to the shadow of a nearby tree, casually plopping down on the grass. "I think we'll be able to finish this on time, no? Perhaps _way_ before sundown."

"Do you think they expect us to scour the inside of the forest as well?" The blue-haired boy stretches his legs with a groan. "'Cause if that's the case, I gotta tell you I'm not up for it."

"I don't think there's anything significant to mark in the forest," Soobin wonders. "When we got lost, I could find literally _nothing_."

"Okay. So that's settled." Yeonjun picks up his wand, and marks a big portion of the map entitled _'K-Camp's Confusing Forest'_. When Soobin shares that the name might not get them the best of marks, he says it was better than simply naming it _'A big-ass Forest'_ anyway.

They spend an enjoyable time together, roaming around the campus and talking about nothing, something, _everything_. It's the most peaceful, wholesome time Yeonjun has ever got to spend with Soobin, so he thinks this activity might not be completely useless, after all.

In the end, they return back to their cabins almost an hour before sunset. They are one of the few teams who had finished so quickly; so submitting their maps to Instructor Park Jimin, they head out for a small bite at the cafeteria. Upon returning to Announcement Rock again, they find the place to be much more crowded, bustling with tired yet noisy students hoping for an accomplishment, and Yeonjun glances around to see if he could spot Beomgyu anywhere.

"Oh, there they are," Soobin points at the three tiny, tired figures trudging into view in the distance. Surprisingly, they are one of the last teams to arrive.

"Oh, I'm never doing this again. Not with _you_ ," they hear Beomgyu exclaim as the trio draw nearer to Yeonjun and Soobin. "I can't _believe_ you made us map out the _entire_ giant-ass forest, you've got a screw loose in your head."

"They said the details would matter," Kang Taehyun plainly replies. "If we're to get points for the details, might as well give them everything they want."

Huening Kai simply trails a step behind them, looking tired and defeated, a streak of mud smeared right across his forehead.

As all five of them instinctively come to stand closer, Soobin automatically goes over to squeeze the youngest into a hug. Yeonjun looks away, willing his heart not to act up, instead opting to pay attention to the General Coordinator who climbs up over the Rock for the second time that day.

"Hmm, looks like everybody's here," Jung Hoseok says, clapping, then grinning brightly. "SO, DID YOU ALL FINISH THE MISSION?"

A tired chorus of _'yes'_ rings loudly from the crowd.

"VERY WELL. I'M IMPRESSED," the auburn-haired man flips the hair out of his eyes. He takes out his wand, swishes it in the air, and a long, long piece of paper appears in between his other hand's expectant fingers.

"NOW, LOOKS LIKE IT'S TIME FOR YOUR MARKS!"

 _'Yes, get on with it,'_ the Fox grumbles sleepily in Yeonjun's head. _'We've been slaving away at these missions, at least give us a good point.'_

In a blink, with a flick of his wrist, the Coordinator eyes the list and casts another spell over the crowd. A bright, flaming number appears in front of every group, taking the students by surprise, a ball of whispers and groans erupting everywhere. Yeonjun blinks, taken aback; then squints to properly make out the blazing point appearing in front of him and Soobin.

It's a three.

 _'What, only three?!'_ his spirit exclaims loudly, enraged. _'After walking so many miles for so many hours, all they give us is a fucking three-'_

"Oh, wow," Huening Kai suddenly jumps in Soobin's hold, wriggling away from the hug to slink closer to his own team. "Oh- _oh_! Look, we got a _five_! Full points! How, that's- that's so _cool_!"

"Looks like you guys got the highest," Soobin cranes his neck to look around the crowd. "I can only see lots of twos and threes here. Not even a four."

"Told you the details would work," Taehyun says to a comically slack-jawed Beomgyu, looking unbothered yet simply very pleased. "You shouldn't have complained so much, Beomgyu."

"Shut up," the Bear irately seethes. "And that's _'hyung'_ to you, brat."

Yeonjun looks around the crowd as well, then at Taehyun's enthralled group, and then at the score of his own team.

It's still a fucking _three_.

"Wow, we got a _really_ low score, huh," he mutters quietly, dejected. Soobin immediately turns to glance down at him. "Maybe we should've gone into the forest, after all."

"Hey, hyung, it's okay," the taller boy tries, expression apologetic, shifting a step closer. "We didn't know it'd make so much of a difference. Let's do better the next time, okay?"

Yeonjun doesn't reply. He doesn't say how much winning meant to him, or how competitive he was, or how passionate he could be for being the best one out there. He doesn't say how he played things to win, or how he tried with the very heart and soul of his being to give it his best. He doesn't say how he didn't become the star, the _legend_ of their faculty that easily- all because it could've deepened the frown on Soobin's lips, perhaps upset him even more. Yeonjun wants to be the best, strives for it, every single time- and maybe being partners with Soobin was making him lousy, blunting his edge. Maybe that was the truth, maybe _all_ of it was true- but he doesn't say it. For Soobin.

For Soobin. Because for once in his life, he's found something that _could_ grow to be as important to him as winning.

Soobin. 

**(** But did he really? Was that the whole truth? **)**

He doesn't reply- doesn't say anything. Instead, he opts to give his partner a small nod, and looks away. He just wants this day to be over already.

It does, a little later. But _not_ in the way anyone might've expected.

"NOW THAT YOU ALL KNOW YOUR POINTS," Jung Hoseok says, uncannily cheerful, "IT'S TIME TO GIVE YOU ALL YOUR LAST MISSION OF THE WEEK."

A pin-drop silence falls over the crowd. Betraying his inner (and maybe a touch sadistic) glee, the Instructor spreads his arms wide, twirling once on the Rock happily. Below him, Instructor Park Jimin hides a pretty smile under his tiny, tiny hands.

 _'Oh no,'_ the Fox says. _'I don't think this is going to be anything good.'_

"GET READY, EVERYONE," the General Coordinator hollers at the top of his voice, almost bursting everyone's eardrums. "IT'S TIME FOR THE FUNNIEST, MOST EXCITING, DEADLIEST ATTRACTION OF THE WEEK: THE SCAVENGER HUNT!!"

Yeonjun's mouth falls open, shoulders slumping. _What the heck._

"AND I DID SAY THOSE MAPS WOULD COME USEFUL, DIDN'T I? THE SCAVENGER HUNT WILL BEGIN FROM TOMORROW, A HUNT TO FIND SIX HIDDEN ITEMS, AND YOU ALL SHALL VERY MUCH NEED YOUR MAPS FOR THAT. THE ITEMS ARE HIDDEN ALL THROUGHOUT THIS CAMP, AND NATURALLY, THE GROUP WITH THE MOST DETAILS WOULD EASILY GAIN AN UPPER-HAND- SO DON'T FORGET TO LOOK OUT FOR THAT TOO, OKAY?"

All around them, a series of shocked, deranged gasps ring out from the crowd. Soobin's eyes go round (very, _very_ round), Beomgyu sighs in relief, Taehyun simply pores over his own map in concentration, and Huening Kai belatedly jumps two feet high in the air, laughing gleefully.

Choi Yeonjun simply looks down at his own, sparsely-detailed map in horror, mind going blank. Totally blank. Except for one single, ominous thought viciously clogging up his system.

_'Oh, we're going to fail. We're going to fail this very, very badly.'_

This was going to be a bad week. This was going to be a very bad end to a _very_ bad week. Yeonjun can just _feel_ it.

 **-**

  


_**First Week:** Day 5._ Ends.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And, GET READY FOR THE HUNT TO BEGIN!!! (☆▽☆)ヾ(≧▽≦*)o
> 
> This chapter was a bit fast-paced, but I hope it was still enjoyable! Things are going to get heated, so please look forward to the next update. :) The next chapter might be a bit late, because I've got a lot of things planned for the Hunt but with very little organisation, so.. yeah. Till then, I would love, _love_ to know your thoughts so far, and whatever you might expect from the next chapter, so feel free to drop a comment, they absolutely make my day!
> 
> Also, a big thank you to all those readers who have left kudos and commented so far! I love this story, but honestly, it wouldn't have come this far if I didn't have your encouragement. As I said, it motivates me immensely, so thank you very, very much!
> 
> As always, stay safe, take care, and I wish everyone a great day/night! Bye bye! <333


	6. Scavenger Hunt: the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter was so, so _h a r d_ , I don't even know what this is anymore. I hope it's not too bad, and at least decently enjoyable.. so please, have fun! Let's meet downstairs! :)
> 
> (Also, I dunno if I should add this or not, but there's a good amount of cursing and heavy language here. It's nothing extreme (I hope), but yeah.. I'll just put it out there.
> 
> Again, enjoy!)

  


**_First Week:_ ** _Day 6_

  


"What the hell," Yeonjun says, because he literally has nothing else to say. "What the hell. What in the freaking _world_ is this?"

  


Through fleeting rumours and discreet, shy-eyed observation, Yeonjun knows that Choi Soobin is perhaps the softest, gentlest, no-swears kinda guy studying in third year of their University. But all of his knowledge is then put to test when the younger simply nods along to Yeonjun's cusses, staring down at the paper in his hands with wide, confused eyes.

 _'I may not be a Lit major,'_ the Fox inside his head tells him seriously, _'but even I know that's called a poem, you idiot. Stop acting like you've never seen one before.'_

 _'I may not be a Lit major,'_ Yeonjun throws back at his spirit irately, fingers clenching, _'but I sure as hell know I'm not qualified enough to make sense out of **this**. What're we even supposed to do?'_

 _'How about you put your brains to use, huh?'_ the Fox quips haughtily. _'It's not like you've **got** any, but-'_

_'Oh, will you shut up-'_

"This is weird," Soobin says suddenly, interrupting his thoughts, re-reading the clue given to them with a most perplexed expression. "This is.. really _weird_. You said that five was your lucky number, and I thought it wasn't _too_ unlucky. So what went wrong?"

Yeonjun holds in a sigh. _'Me. Us,'_ he doesn't say it out loud, but closes his eyes when the Fox proceeds to cackle diabolically. _'Damn it, this is bad. We're going to fail this spectacularly.'_

"ALRIGHT, I HOPE EVERYONE GOT THEIR RESPECTIVE CLUES," Instructor Jung Hoseok shouts out from the Announcement Rock, clapping loudly. "NOW LET'S BEGIN THE HUNT, SHALL WE?"

**-**

  


For the sake of some much-needed clarification, the rules of the Scavenger Hunt went somewhat like this:

  


**-** Six magic packages are hidden in six different places around the camp. Each group will pick one of the six first clues designed by the Coordinators (allotted to everyone through random-picking), and would have to solve the puzzles to find the location of the next clues. The number of clues in one place may be less, and the locations might overlap- so only the fastest players can move forward in the Hunt. There will be **[4]** clues, **[4]** locations for each group, and out of the twenty-something teams, only six can win.

 **-** The time limit for the Hunt is two days. The activity will end at Sundown on the Seventh day.

 **-** Players can hunt till Sundown on both days. After that, they cannot continue with the search, even if they have the clue for the next location.

 **-** Total points for this Activity is **[10]**. Your efforts, skill, and teamwork will be graded accordingly.

 **-** The use of all kinds of magic is allowed. Use what you have learnt in this camp, back in University- but **_do not_** hurt other players. Any kind of unnecessary violence or mental abuse is prohibited; if any player partakes in such activity, their entire team will be eliminated.

 **-** The Instructors shall not directly help any player, but they are allowed to give cryptic hints. Work together, find the clues, and locate your packages the fastest. **(** _"AND BEST OF LUCK!!"_ Instructor Jung Hoseok had shouted cheerfully above the crowd. Unfortunately, not many people had been comforted by it. **)**

  


**(** _"Tomorrow's going to be one hell of a day,"_ Beomgyu had said to Yeonjun the night before, while they were making their way back to the cabins with blank, dangerously light-headed minds. _"We don't even get along properly with each other- my team is doomed."_

 _"I highly doubt that,"_ Yeonjun had shook his head, eyeing Taehyun and Soobin conversing ahead, a tired Huening Kai enjoying a piggy-back ride upon the tallest's shoulders. _"You guys may fight, but magic doesn't lie, Gyu. You and Taehyun have great compatibility, and the kid balances you both. I think your team will do just great."_

 _"That's comforting,"_ Beomgyu had then glanced at him snidely. _"What about you, hyung? Are you confident in winning this?"_

Yeonjun had taken a moment to think, staring at the broad, kind back of his partner. _"No,"_ he'd then said, truthfully. _"I'm not confident about us, not at all. But I swear on my life I'm going to try my best."_ He had turned to face the younger with a fire in his gaze. _"I'm not giving up, Gyu. I'll try my hardest, and win this. For both of us- I swear."_

 _"You don't trust Soobin-hyung?"_ Beomgyu had then asked, sceptically. _"You don't think he's good enough to win this with you?"_

 _"No... I think Soobin's pretty talented,"_ Yeonjun had decided to keep his thoughts to himself. _"I think he's great. I'm just... going to try my best. Whatever happens."_ **)**

**-**

  


Truth to be told, there were some things that Yeonjun thought about, things he couldn't share with anyone else. Things about himself, things about others, things about the world; there were things Beomgyu couldn't know, things Soobin _shouldn't_ hear, things Yeonjun probably shouldn't even be thinking about- but he did so, anyway. He was relentless, inconsiderate like that; but at least he had the good sense to keep it all to himself. 

He never shares them, not with anybody. They're all his secrets to bear.

 **(** But just because he doesn't share, doesn't makes them untrue. Yeonjun knows there's truth in his secrets, and sooner or later, he would have to wake up and accept it. **)**

Soobin and him were compatible, no doubt about it. They thought alike on a lot of different things, had many common hobbies, and both had the common will to adjust and compromise to make things work between them. They both were willing to be careful, determined to give their best to get along with each other- but it wasn't enough. It wasn't _enough_. The only reason these groups were designed was to hone the students' potential through trial, teamwork and competition- and if they were in a competition, they _had_ to win. Yeonjun had to win. It's what he always strove for in life, it's what he'd always _wanted_.

But clearly, Soobin was not like that. He didn't have that competitive mentality. Perhaps, he wasn't really made for competitions.

And that was... well. Kind of inconvenient.

  


**(** The night before the Hunt, Yeonjun buries himself into the covers of his bunk-bed and convinces himself to stop thinking about it. It works, for a bit- but that tiny little thought stays, prickling his mind, reminding him of the truth. Of Soobin.

One day he had to wake up, and face the reality. It wasn't that he was unprepared- maybe he just didn't _want_ to.

The colourfully-dotted map they had made in the morning lies safely rolled inside his bag, waiting to be used. Yeonjun doesn't have too many hopes from it. He would just have to give it his best- try his hardest to win. For both Soobin and himself. **)**

**-**

  


In retrospect though, the blue-haired boy he should've been a bit a lot more nervous about the whole Hunt than simply worrying about his partner, after all.

Because the clues given to them were _confusing as hell_.

  


"What do we even do with this?" he mutters; then looks up when the Coordinator claps for a second time to get their attention.

"JUST A REMINDER- YOU GUYS PICKED YOUR NUMBER, TOTALLY RANDOMLY, AND YOUR FIRST CLUE DOES NOT AFFECT YOUR RESULTS IN ANY WAY." He smiles down at the crowd that is a mix of loud silence and stunted perplexity. "YOU KNOW THE GAME. DECIPHER THE RIDDLE, FIGURE OUT YOUR LOCATIONS, AND THEN OFF YOU GO!"

"God, what the hell," Yeonjun huffs, cursing once more. He really needs to stop it. "We gotta make a sense out of this, but I've literally got _no_ idea."

"Maybe we need to read it again," Soobin says, voice flat. Yeonjun pointedly does not remind him that he's been doing just that for the last five minutes. "I think we need to keep reading it... again, and again, and again.."

His voice trails off. Looks like he's out of ideas as well.

Clutched tight within Yeonjun's strong hands, written in dark-brown cursive, their first clue of the Hunt goes something like this:

  


__

_"The flick of a wand, on pristine white pages;  
A compulsory destination for all budding mages.  
Where the strong scent of Americano keeps you awake,  
Come, and discern the difference between the truth and the fake."_

  


"The only thing that makes sense to me is the Americano part," Yeonjun says, racking his mind for something, _anything_ that could help them decipher this. From the periphery of his vision, he could see Beomgyu's team huddling close, scowling down at their own clue. "I usually love Americano, but it's getting hard to keep doing that."

"I _hate_ Americano," Soobin blurts out honestly, and it looks like he was at his wit's end, too. "And what's that about a _wand_ and _white pages_? A place where all mages would like to go..?"

"I'll go anywhere as long as there's food," the blue-haired boy mutters. "Remember that one time when I got you some coffee and you rejected it? I gotta tell you, that drink was _good_."

_'You got it.'_

_'What?'_ Yeonjun blinks, taken aback. _'I got what?'_

 _'The answer, you idiot,'_ the Fox says blandly, as if too tired of his blatant idiocy (it very probably was). _'It's the place where you got the coffee from. That's your location.'_

Yeonjun blinks, again. And again. For a moment, he simply thinks about it, long and hard- then suddenly jumps.

Oh. _Oh_.

"The cafeteria!" he exclaims, taking Soobin by surprise. He grabs a hold of his partner's arm, shaking it excitedly. "It's the _cafeteria_! It's from where I bought that coffee- and- and we can order food with our wands! It's- _let's go_!"

He tugs the younger forward, quite forcefully, both of them breaking into a sprint towards the tiny building in the distance. All around, many of the students had started running too; and suddenly Yeonjun realises that this was a game of wit as much as it was a game of _speed_ \- and he wasn't going to let anyone take over them with speed. Not a chance in Hell.

He breathes through his nose, and powers his feet to run.

"Oh- _now_ that you think about it," Soobin says aloud, a step behind, re-reading the clue while running, "you're right, hyung! It really _is_ the cafeteria!"

Yeonjun tries not to think about what would've happened if he hadn't figured it out, and races onward.

"We're here- and we're the first!" He exclaims as they draw closer, grabbing a hold of the cold door handle and pushing it open. There's a breathless smile on his face as he says, "Soobinie, this is so _easy_! We had nothing to be worried about-"

He takes one step into the cafeteria, and his smile drops.

"Oh, someone's here already? Welcome."

The owner of the voice turns, and the smile that slowly grows on Doctor Kim Seokjin's face is nothing short of _wicked_ (he still manages to look kind of handsome though). "Oh my, hello!" He chirps, eyes twinkling. "Now _this_ is a good meeting! Looking for your next clue, kiddos?" The man cocks his head to a side, spreading his arms dramatically. "Very well, you've definitely come to the right place! Now feel free to look around and find your next clue among... _these_."

Yeonjun looks around the refurbished, chair-less, absolutely _cramped_ room in horror, staring at sight disbelievingly.

" _Now_ that you think about it," Soobin says again, seemingly in a similar state of incredulity, "there _is_ something else written at the end. Something about.. finding the difference between-"

" _'Between the truth and the fake'_ , yes," the tall Healer nods, smiles broader. "Now, what do you think about this?"

Yeonjun has no idea what to think, because all that he can see around are rows and rows of colourful, circular tables. Tables made of plastic, coloured blue, green, pink- each upon which there stood around twenty cups, steaming hot and ready, a strong, thick aroma of coffee saturating the air. There was little space to walk around, and from where they stood, he could see a different kind of coffee occupying different tables. They didn't _appear_ too different; but on a closer look, he could spot Mochas on the blue ones, and Iced brews on the pinks, and the green ones had a dark, inviting one he could easily recognise as-

"Americano!" He points out to the green table nearest to them. "That's- maybe that's where-"

" _Ohh_ , good observation. Very praiseworthy," Kim Seokjin claps once, plush lips pulling up at the corners. "The whole set-up was to confuse you guys about which ones could be Americanos, but since we're past that now," he lifts a finger to his lips, eyes secretive, "here's the thing. On each table you see, there are twenty identical cups, with identical-looking drinks. Only one out of them is the real drink, while the others are _very_ similar, but not quite. You need to figure out which cup is real, drink it up, and if you're correct, then you'll find your next clue by the end."

"Um," Soobin starts nervously. "And what if we're wrong? I mean, what if we choose wrong and.. drink from the wrong cup?"

"Oh, nothing will happen, don't worry. I made all these myself." The older man waves a hand over the tables, tilting his face proudly. "Only six cups in the entire room are real coffee, placed on six different tables. You can easily figure out the wrong ones by drinking them- but their flavour is so strong, you might get knocked out for a few hours, so that's not exactly recommended." He smiles, as if to gently reassure them (it doesn't really work). "Don't worry, I'm a great cook, and a _god_ of brewing coffee. Nothing will happen, I promise."

"Except that if we choose the wrong cup, we'll pass out and lose a lot of time." Yeonjun tries not to scowl at the absurdity of the task, and tugs Soobin forward. "Come on, we don't have much time. Let's check that table out."

It's hard enough to walk through the thin spaces, but after a minute, they're standing silent in front of twenty white coffee-cups placed upon green, shiny plastic. Yeonjun picks a cup up, turns it around; Soobin mimics his movements, trying to spot something, anything, but it's useless. There's nothing different about any of them- they're all _identical_.

"Damn it, what do we do now?" Yeonjun mutters, thoughts racing, eyes narrowed in concentration. Even the Fox inside was trying its hardest to brainstorm. "If we can't taste them or see any difference, what're we even left with?"

Soobin looks around the room, at the smiling Instructor, then sighs helplessly. "Oh, this is confusing. Hyung, how did you even realise these cups were different than the other ones?" He runs a hand through his short, midnight bangs. "Honestly, all the drinks on all the tables look the same to me."

"That's because I _like_ coffee, Soobinie," Yeonjun grits out, trying not to let his annoyance show. His partner was cute and all, but he could increasingly feel that there was practically no difference between them working together and him working alone. He decides not to think about it, opting instead to observe the cups. "I've spent years drinking coffee, especially this flavour. How did _you_ understand it was Americano back when I offered it to you?"

"The smell," Soobin shrugs easily, as if it were nothing. "I'm not very good with bitter things, and the smell is usually so strong that-"

But Yeonjun wasn't listening. He was quickly straightening up.

"The smell," he mutters quietly, incredulously, slapping a hand to his forehead. " _Damn it_ , why didn't I think of it before?"

"Hyung?" Soobin blinks; but the older doesn't reply, too busy taking his wand out of his pocket and poising it ready.

"Why didn't I think of it before?" Yeonjun repeats, turning to his partner with a bright, ecstatic grin. "It's the _smell_! Americano coffee has a unique smell, so even if all the drinks _look_ the same, they shouldn't have the same smell, right?" He turns back to the table, waving his wand in slow, circular motions. "They said all kinds of spells are allowed. We recently learnt the Smell-Enhancing charm in Instructor Yoongi's class, so-"

A bright, golden smoke bursts from the tip of his wand. Yeonjun immediately ducks to dip his entire face into it.

Suddenly, all his nerves tingle; and all his peripheral senses seem to dull as the sole sensations in his nose increase tenfold. Suddenly, he feels like he is _hit_ by every smell in the room all at once- spiked, strong and sharper than ever before. For a second, he feels dizzy; it's so dizzy and disorienting, that he loses himself for a moment, stumbles back.

_'Oh, how strange. The Rabbit smells so nice.'_

_'Yeah,'_ he thinks, thoughts raging out-of-control. _'Soobin's really-'_

He shakes his head, burns himself out of the haze. _No distractions,_ he thinks sternly, stabilising his stance and trying to focus on the task at hand.

 _The drinks- smell the drinks._ Concentrating solely upon them isn't easy, especially when it felt like all the smells of the world were rushing in and clouding his senses; he powers through it though, determined to win, trying to inspect every single cup with minute scrutiny before settling it down and smelling another. Faintly, he can feel Soobin waiting for the results with bated breath, and it fuels him on further.

_Try your best. For both him and yourself._

"Found it."

Like a priceless, hard-earned exploit, the blue-haired boy holds out the sixteenth cup on the table with nervous, trembling hands. "This is it," he says, hoping against hope his spell had properly worked. "This one- it has that exact same smell I get when I buy my coffee. I can't be 100% sure, but-" he gulps, looking at Soobin, "I think this is our best bet."

"Okay.." the younger eyes the cup as if it might explode. "Okay. So now.. we need to drink it."

"Yeah..." Yeonjun trails off. "Will you do it?"

The question makes Soobin bite his lip and narrow his eyes in trepidation. Yeonjun thinks he knows the answer already, but still-

"Um, hyung- I honestly _can't_ handle bitter things, not at all. So real or not, it's going to knock me out either way."

Holding in a- troubled, annoyed, _disappointed_ \- breath, Yeonjun nods quietly. "Okay," he says, shrugging to somewhat ease his nerves. "Guess I'll do it anyway."

He doesn't wait for Soobin to answer; with a giant breath, he's gulping down the liquid and drinking, letting the concoction burn his throat so that he doesn't feel the bitterness on the occasion that it _does_ turn out to be wrong. Vaguely, he can feel the familiarity of the taste, like he has enjoyed it a thousand times before; but he doesn't dare hope, and keeps on drinking.

From a distance, the resident Healer of K-Camp watches them with narrowed, observant eyes.

The cup tilts up as Yeonjun drinks, almost emptying the liquid. He lets the last drops trickle from the glass and climb down his throat, and with a heavy, dizzy gaze, finally looks down to stare at the empty depths anxiously.

There. At the far bottom of the cup lies a small, pink paper rolled tightly into a scroll.

"We found it!" Soobin all but exclaims, jumping excitedly on his toes. "Wow- hyung- you _did it_! We actually found the next clue!"

"Yeah," Yeonjun says. He stumbles a bit, mind slightly spinning- a side-effect of inhaling a _shitload_ of caffeine, he guesses-, but quickly shakes himself out of it. "Yeah, we got it," he relishes in the warmth in his veins, feeling proud, eyes burning with adrenaline. "We don't have time to waste. Let's get out of here- let's go."

Without sparing a glance at the Instructor or any of the new faces filing into the cafeteria, Yeonjun pulls hard on the glass door and races out.

Soobin follows him a step behind.

**-**

  


_Almost._

"Ow-" he groans, caught off-guard as someone grabs his hand and roughly tugs him backward. He turns. "Um, Doctor Jin-"

"Soobin-ssi," the Healer says, a strangely serious expression on his face. "Objectively speaking, you like your partner, don't you? You _need_ him?"

Soobin blinks, quizzed. Slowly, he nods his head in assent.

"That's good," the older man says, brows furrowing deeper. He tightens his grip on Soobin's wrist, saying, "That's good, Soobin-ssi. Acknowledging your need is good. But," his expression hardens, making Soobin gulp, "you need to make him realise that _he_ needs you _too_ \- as his partner. Make him understand that he _cannot_ do this alone. Do you get me?"

No, he doesn't. Soobin simply tilts his head in confusion. "Um, what're you-"

"Off you go now," suddenly, the Healer is almost pushing him out of the door. "Best of luck, kid- and remember what I said. Don't lose your partner, and don't let him lose himself."

Perplexedly, the Rabbit pulls open the glass door, steps out of the cafeteria and looks around. Squinting in the bright sunlight, he finds his partner impatiently waiting outside for him.

**-**

  


"What took you so long?" Yeonjun says the moment Soobin steps out of the cafeteria. He brings out the small, pink chit they- _he_ \- had managed to acquire. "Look, this is our second clue. What can you make out of it?"

The taller guy blinks at the tiny paper handed out to him, lips pursing into a pout. "This..." he says finally, a bit unsure. "This is... another poem?"

"Looks like all of our hints are gonna be like this," Yeonjun runs a hand through his dark blue locks. "Damn it, those Lit majors definitely have the upper hand now."

Their second clue of the Hunt, written in a neat, black scrawl, ran something like:

  


__

_"A sprinkle of silver fairy-dust,  
Is it a bird or a tree?  
Do you see anything, is it the truth you see?  
Where the blue of the land meets the blue of the sky,  
Find me, your third clue, before down in the blues I fly."_

  


"Uh," the younger says, biting his lip and eyeing the paper confusedly. "Like before, the first part of the riddle makes no sense to me." He squints, holding the paper closer to his face. "But.. _'where the blue of the land meets the blue of the sky'_... Is it the Lake? I mean, that's the only significant body of water we've seen around here."

"Unless we missed a bigger one in the forest, yeah, I think so too." Yeonjun shifts on his toes, bringing out their map from his pant pocket. "I guess we should find a route that'll lead us there the fastest. I'm guessing we'll be given other such _tests_ like that coffee one- and I really don't know what to expect."

"Yeah, okay." Soobin nods. "It'd be better if we have some time in our hands, anyway."

They find one soon enough- a path that twists around the cafeteria and provides a short-cut to the Lake situated just near around the outskirts of the forest. Yeonjun ponders on the usefulness of their map as he runs, hoping to reach the place before anyone else. Even at his fastest, it takes them five minutes to the destination; and by then, he can hear Soobin panting roughly, out of breath, three to four steps behind him.

 _'Huh,'_ the Fox says in his head as he frantically looks around. _'Nothing seems out of place to me. What do you think, Jun?'_

 _'Same,'_ Yeonjun looks at the calm, deep-blue waters and the swaying, tall trees lining it. He's visited this spot once before, with Soobin, but nothing does seem different to him. Nothing stands out. _'I- I'm quite sure this is our next location. But- where's the clue?'_

He turns back, lips parted in a question- but stops short when he sees Soobin peering down at the clue, scratching his head thoughtfully. "Yeonjun-hyung," he says, not looking up, voice sounding curious, "Hyung, the first lines of the clue... Don't you think they sound a bit.. _iffy_?"

"Of course they do," the older huffs, a hand on his waist. "It's probably written like that to confuse us. As if one of the Instructors got drunk while writing it."

"Huh. Yeah," Soobin nods absently. "It _does_ look like.. they're confused. It's like- it's like their thoughts are all jumbled up."

Yeonjun blinks, thinking that over. _As if their thoughts were jumbled up..._

Instantly, it hits him.

Maybe it hits Soobin at the same time, because suddenly both of them find themselves running in the same direction, towards that far edge of the Lake where, amidst a jungle of bushes, a tiny, wooden hut stands peeking up beyond them. _'Oh, that's-'_ the Fox exclaims as he runs, as it all clicks, _'that's where he have our Charms class. Instructor Yoongi's class, that's where we learnt-'_

 _'The Thought Distortion spell,'_ Yeonjun quickly finishes that statement. _'Apparently, I wasn't the only one who paid attention in Charms.'_

A step faster, Soobin grabs onto the door and forcibly swings it open. They stand breathlessly near the doorway, eyeing the empty room, empty walls, empty everything- but then there's Instructor Min Yoongi standing lazily in the center, small figure slightly slouched, his silver-haired colleague Park Jimin jumping onto his feet the moment they arrive.

"Hello," the mint-haired Instructor says, cool and languid. "Congratulations, you have come to the right place."

"Yeah.." Yeonjun trails off, eyeing them suspiciously. "We're... we're going to get our next clue here, right?"

"Oh, you mean this?" The older man holds up a hand, pale fingers clutching tight around a shiny, blue-coloured paper. "Well, sure. I guess it could be yours," he shrugs. "That is, if you can catch it."

"What do you mea-"

Soobin's words die in his throat as suddenly the Instructor unfurls his fist, and in the blink of an eye, the small paper grows two tiny _wings_ at its sides. The two students are then left to gape incredulously as their precious clue suddenly begins to _fly_ all around the room, a little too tiny, a little too fast to be convenient. In short, it's out of their reach, completely inaccessible- when they're actually supposed to-

"There's your clue. Now catch it before it gets lost." For all that he resented physical activities and wakefulness, the Instructor seemed to be really enjoying this. His other colleague is no different, who simply takes one look at their identical dumbstruck faces and gleefully bursts out laughing. "It's okay, don't look so down," a lazy, scary smirk pulls at Min Yoongi's lips. "We have the whole day ahead, just try your best."

"Uh, you mean try our best to catch an _airborne_ clue?" Yeonjun exclaims as he steps into the room, trying to carefully track the paper with fluttering eyes. "It's, it's like trying to catch a house fly- you _always_ fail to catch it!"

"Believe me, I said the exact same thing," Instructor Park Jimin barely manages not to double over himself, laughing still. "Best of luck, you guys. I know you can do it."

 _'And there they go, always so happy to impart good wishes,'_ the Fox grumbles angrily in his head. _'If they actually followed them- hey, what the hell?! Stop flapping around, human- it's flying away!'_

They must look like a pair of idiots, Yeonjun thinks, him and Soobin, jumping and squatting all around the room, grabbing and punching at the air as the tiny paper slips out of their grasp _every single time_. The minutes are running out, Yeonjun knows; he jumps and yells and curses, watches Soobin flail and fall on the floor a couple of times, but they just can't _catch_ it.

Oh, these stupid clues and stupid, _stupid_ tests. He was really sick of this Hunt.

So _sick_ , that he wanted to destroy these tests and win this Activity as fast as possible.

"Hmm, that looks difficult." All of a sudden, the mint-haired Instructor seems concerned about them. That couldn't be anything good. "How about I help you guys a little? Let some fresh air in?"

To their complete, abject _horror_ , the short man sidles towards a wall and casually opens a _window_. Immediately- before Yeonjun can dive in its way and obstruct it- the winged clue spots an opening and flies out of it, fluttering into the sunlight like a free, young butterfly. Yeonjun almost slams into the wall as he leans out of the window, watching slack-jawed as the paper skirts around the trees a bit- then does a sharp, 90 degree dive into the quaint, blue waters of the Lake.

The paper dives. _Into_ the _Lake_. Their precious clue dives into the Lake, impossibly out of their reach.

Yeonjun's brain shutters.

"What the-" he valiantly tries to hold his temper back. It doesn't work. "What on _Earth_ \- why did you do _that_?"

"It was in your second clue, was it not?" The Instructor shrugs, feline eyes sharp and witty. "Catch it before it flies- _into the blue_. Since you guys weren't getting any closer to it, I decided to let it go." His fair face morphs into something porcelaine, hard-cut, serious. "Now go, catch it if you can. And if you can't, then go home- the Hunt is over for you."

His dark eyes seem to hold a challenge- quiet, sharp, deadly. And however angry or frustrated he might be, Choi Yeonjun was never one to back down from a challenge.

So be it.

"Soobin, let's go," he turns around, addressing his partner as the younger slowly picks himself off the floor. "We're going to _get_ that clue, c'mon."

Like a storm he leaves the tiny hut, marching outside to stand determinedly near the clear waters of the Lake. He thinks furiously as to what they could do, while Soobin jogs and comes to stand beside him, hands on his knees, almost panting for breath. "What do we do now, hyung?" he asks, voice thin. "I- do we need to jump in? We can't hold our breath for long, and I can't swim, so how-"

Yeonjun's jaw clenches. _Useless_ , he barely keeps himself from thinking, or saying. Barely.

"Soobin."

"Yes, hyung?"

The blue-haired boy turns to look at the younger with hard fire in his eyes. "I'm going in," he announces, taking out his wand and holding it ready. "I thought we couldn't do it before- but now I remember. The Instructor was right, we learnt a spell for this not too long ago. You stay back here, while I'm going to dive in and find that clue."

Glancing away from the younger's round, flabbergasted eyes, Yeonjun mutters the complex incantation and cautiously casts the spell. It's delicate, difficult; but instantly, as if reacting to his determination, a pale, translucent light emanates from the tip of his wand, covering the wood, then proceeding to sneak up and curl around his elbow. It soon trails over the entirety of his body, a pale sheen of light- over his face and under his clothes, almost like second skin. He takes in a deep, readying breath, more for his peace of mind than anything else- then _jumps_.

Without any warning, before Soobin can say anything- Yeonjun bends his knees and jumps headfirst into the water.

**-**

  


Without any warning, his partner jumps. Soobin only has an instant to be surprised, throat letting out a pitched, involuntary shriek.

_'What the- he actually jumped?!'_

He stares confusedly at the bubbling waters of the Lake, befuddled, dumbstruck, feeling like the greatest idiot in the world while his senior very probably swims through deep waters, risking his life in order to find their clue. Clenching his fists, teeth gritting, Soobin feels restless, helpless, absolutely _useless_ \- and there's only so much he can do before the feeling invariably devours him.

It's hard. It's hard not to feel like that when it was the only thought that had been plaguing his mind throughout the Hunt. He stands tall on the grass and feels completely useless, so lame and insignificant next to the enigma that was Choi Yeonjun. He screws his eyes shut; curses himself. Damn his inability to swim, _damn_ him for being so weak, _damn it all_ to _hell_ -

"Soobinie-hyung? What're you doing here?"

Soobin turns. His eyes widen as he takes in the incoming figures of Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai running straight towards him.

"Wha- you- why're you guys here?" He asks, surprised, when they were all standing near enough. "Did your clue lead you here, too? But that can't be. The Instructor had only one clue with him, so-"

"Looks like our locations overlapped," Taehyun holds up a small, yellow paper in his hand, eyeing him blankly. "We already met up with Instructor Yoongi. The third clue flew into the Lake, right?"

"Yeah," Soobin says, feeling unsure. If both their teams were hunting for the same clue, does that mean- "Yeonjun-hyung is inside. He's- he's looking for it as we speak."

"Huh? Inside? You mean hyung's _inside_ the lake?!" Beomgyu exclaims, quickly stepping forward. "What the hell- _inside the water_ \- he can't just suddenly-"

"Oh, damn it," the usually unruffled Taehyun suddenly curses, earning the attention of the entire group. "Damn it, he used _that_. Instructor Yoongi said it'd be easier to find the clue inside the Lake- now he'll definitely get it before us."

"Then you mean, we _lost_?" Huening Kai exclaims, looking shell-shocked and vaguely horrified. "But, we worked so hard! We- if we can't get that clue, then we're out of the game! So, we'll just _lose_?!"

Soobin gulps. He loved Kai, he really did- so much that he could give him the entire world if he asked for it. Despite their age difference, the younger had been his best and most precious friend ever- but that was his _partner_ down there, and he really couldn't help it. If them finding the clue led to Kai's team's defeat, he'd be really _sorry_ , but-

"Hah, as if. We didn't fight this far to go back with nothing."

Suddenly, with surprising vigour, the crimson-haired boy flings off the sleeveless jacket from his shoulders, eyes practically burning. "Hyung's not the only one who can breathe underwater, we took that class together."

In a blink- actually, in the same way Yeonjun had done before- Taehyun brings out his wand and mutters a few magic words, running and diving headfirst into the water before the spell's even properly finished. Beomgyu lets out a high shriek, just like Soobin had, while the youngest of the group gasps and instinctively comes to wrap his arms around the Rabbit's stomach. Soobin clutches at themtightly for support.

"What the hell, he jumped," Beomgyu says, hands pulling at his multicoloured hair. "No, now they're _both_ underwater. If we've only got _one_ clue, and if they're still the most ridiculously _stubborn_ people I've ever met in my life, then-"

"They're going to fight," Soobin mutters, dry and soulless. "They're going to fight each other, for that clue. _Underwater_."

  


For a moment, he feels strangely detached from the situation. For a moment, he lets himself get lost, think about something else, pay attention to some random, completely miscellaneous detail. Maybe it's a coping mechanism- but suddenly he can hear the birds coo, the wind blowing sweetly through the leaves. The forest feels calm, like the blue sky above, the air surrounding the Lake heavily, intensely peaceful. It's a beautiful, picturesque place, too quiet to be real, strong enough to drown out the chaos in his mind with the sheer weight of its silence.

Soobin breathes in. He needs to be steady. He _cannot_ panic, not now.

Suddenly, near their feet, a crackle of electricity sparks through the water. The Lake looks disturbed, for a second.

"Ohhh, _fuck_." This time it's Beomgyu again, seemingly much too excited but strangely too quiet. "Oh fuck, they're fighting. _Duelling_. And _fuck_ \- I forgot- I forgot that Taehyun's a terrific Thunder mage. _Fuck_ , Yeonjun-hyung is screwed. He's _so_ screwed- fuck, fuck _fuck_ -"

Soobin panics.

 _'Oh my God, they're going to die,'_ he says to a spirit who has suddenly gone all radio-silent. This is a dangerous turn of events, too charged and aggressive for his taste- and he really feels _sick_ of it.

So sick, that he wanted to jump right in and try to help Yeonjun out, even though he couldn't swim. This fun, innocent Scavenger Hunt was quickly spiralling into a complete, utter disaster, and there was nothing he could do about it.

_'Oh goddamnit,'_ he thinks, prays, hopes. _'Please be safe. Yeonjun-hyung, please, be safe-'_

  


A second passes. Suddenly, a huge, flashy thunder jolts hot and lightning-fast through the Lake.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And, that's it. If you've successfully reached this note, thank you very, very much for reading it through, I apologise for anything that might've been terrible. I really tried.
> 
> This scavenger hunt is quickly turning out to be the most difficult arc of this story... ugh. A big shout-out to my sister who helped me dive into the poem business and actually inspired me with the coffee idea, I hope it was enjoyable... Please look forward to the next update- Yeonbin and Taekaigyu are apparently after the same clue now, and neither Yeonjun nor Taehyun are gonna _let it go_. I struggled so much with this chapter, it's not even funny- but I would love to know your thoughts! What do you think might happen next, what do you think about a particular character or group? Please feel free to share!
> 
> As always, take care, and I hope everyone has a great day/night! Bye bye! <333


	7. The Water Mage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I said the last chapter was hard, then this one came back at me with tripled force *groans in agony*. I'm very sorry for the late, this took a lot of time to finish, but I really hope it came out decent. It's almost midnight, and I'll edit it later- so I apologise in advance for any kind of mistakes that you might find! This one's a bit heavy, with a lot of action, so.. please enjoy! 
> 
> Happy reading, everyone, let's meet downstairs! (oﾟvﾟ)ノ

  


Inhaling a deep breath- though it wasn't required- Yeonjun jumps. Instantly, he's surrounded by water.

  


Water. Water and water; dark waves and dewy sunlight and tiny, sparkling bubbles. It was blue all around.

For a moment, the boy blinks. Carefully, he readies himself, hollows out his cheeks; then slowly lets go of the breath he was holding.

He gasps, involuntarily. He could breathe; he could now breathe, _underwater._

 _'Wow,'_ he thinks, for a magical moment awed, simply overwhelmed. _'These charms are pretty terrific, huh.'_

 _'Yeah,'_ the Fox agrees, equally dazed, and suddenly it gets all excited. _'Ohhh, look! So many plants- and so many fishes! It's beautiful!'_

Letting go of his thoughts for a moment, Yeonjun simply turns around and looks. He was floating a good few metres under heavy, blue waves, the sunlight barely trickling down in bursts and trails. There were rocks on the bed, and dark, cool shadows; there were plants and corals, coloured vividly in crimson, violet, orange. There were weeds and bubbles, and then there were fishes of so many kinds, a variety of unique species and aquatic organisms- Yeonjun looks and looks, stares at the sights with slack-jawed wonder. For a moment, he lets himself go, indulges in the childishness of the Fox, and simply thinks about the paradise he's stepped into.

It was beautiful. The underwater kingdom was so, so _beautiful_.

_'Hey, look. What's that?'_

He turns to his left. Something small and shiny was fluttering in the distance. Yeonjun squints.

_'Oh my God, that's the clue! Jun- go catch it!!'_

_'You don't have to tell me twice,'_ he retorts, pushing his limbs and powerfully swimming forward. Instantly, the peace is broken, the wonder lost. The sight of the waves blur into nothing as the thought of catching the paper reigns on the forefront of his mind. He needed to catch that annoying clue, needed to win this Hunt. Needed to complete the task and pass this test- as soon as possible.

Suddenly above him, there's a loud, large splash. Glancing up, he sees another human swimming down rapidly towards him.

**-**

  


****

**[CHOI YEONJUN: TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AGO]**

  


"Huh?" He looks down at the paper in his hands, then at the smiling face of his professor. "An educational Summer Camp?"

  


"Yes," the older man nods, adjusting his glasses. "They've been in partnership with our University for years. Every year, we select a few talented students from each faculty, and enrol them in this initiative. It's an adventurous, student-friendly program, around three weeks long, and will prove to be _extremely beneficial_ if you want to pursue something great in the future." He smiles, a little proud, a little vague. "It's your choice whether you'd want to go or not, but I- as well as all the teachers of this school- will recommend that you go. Especially you, Yeonjun."

 _Especially me,_ he thinks. Composedly, Yeonjun says, "Thank you very much for this opportunity, Sir. Could I get back to you on this?"

"Sure. Take your time," the professor nods, busying himself with his papers again. "Just keep in mind- if you _do_ decide to join, it'll be the chance of a lifetime."

Yeonjun nods. Clutching the blank form tightly in his hands, he crisply makes his way out of the office.

**-**

  


Someone jumps in, someone short and nimble with eye-catching crimson hair. With furrowed brows and dread twisting in his gut, Yeonjun realises it's Kang Taehyun.

  


Damn it. Looks like he's got competition.

 _"Yeonjun-hyung,"_ Taehyun addresses him, almost shouting from the distance; and belatedly Yeonjun realises the charm enabled them to speak and hear underwater, too. _"Looks like we're both after the same clue."_

 _"Oh, really?"_ Yeonjun tone comes out wry, eyes narrowing. _"I came here first- so how about you guys go look somewhere else, yeah?"_

 _"A no can do,"_ the younger boy shakes his head, his usually impassive features morphing into something sharper, determined. _"Me and my team crossed several challenges before we could find this place. I'm not letting it go just like that."_

Yeonjun stares at the boy- now a potential adversary- with a long, observant gaze. Taehyun was a friend, someone who had helped him out unconditionally before. He was Beomgyu's partner, a pretty good guy underneath all his unique quirks and behaviour- so maybe Yeonjun should go easy on him, but he can't. This was a competition, a _big_ one at that, and Yeonjun was not going to give in. Not for anybody. 

_"Very well,"_ he shrugs, feigning ease. _"The one who catches it first, wins. Let's go."_

Turning around, he spots the tiny paper peeking out from amidst a jungle of weeds, and quickly begins to swim towards it. Taehyun may be a good swimmer, but he was still a long distance away. Even at his fastest, it would take him some time to reach to the bottom, and by then Yeonjun could easily-

_"Not so fast."_

It happens in a flash- _literally_. Even underwater, the blue-haired boy feels something hot and burning jolt through the waves, tingling his spine, startling the heck out of him. He lets out a gasp, turns back- and his mouth falls open at the sight of the younger aiming the tip of his wand right at Yeonjun's face.

 _"What the hell?!"_ he shouts, taken aback. _"What're you doing? You know we're not supposed to hurt each oth-"_

 _"We'll get eliminated **only** if someone gets hurt,"_ Taehyun says, all the while conjuring another bolt, the waves surrounding him visibly buzzing with electricity. _"You're a strong mage, hyung, I know you can handle this. My goal is to just keep you from going near that clue."_

 _'What the-'_ Yeonjun mentally curses, furiously whisking out his own wand to ready himself. _'This is bad. Electricity becomes more potent underwater. If this goes on-'_

His thought goes unfinished. White-hot and impossibly fast, a second thunderbolt crackles through the water, rushing unabashedly towards him. Yeonjun counters it with a magic Shield, a strong, dewy protection against all sorts of spells, but grits his teeth at the effort it drains from him. Taehyun was _strong_ \- no doubt about it.

But Yeonjun could be stronger.

 _'Let's show him what **we** got, yeah?'_ He thinks, muttering a favourite incantation of his, smirking confidently when the Fox eggs him on enthusiastically. _"He's dared to mess with us- let's give him a taste of our own fire."_

Another bolt, this time faster and more powerful. Yeonjun swings his wand in a wide arc, the spell complete- and the waves swirl and rise around them as a raging wall of flames clashes against Taehyun's thunder.

**-**

  


" _Oh my God_ \- WAHHH!!"

  


Huening Kai jumps as the waters of the Lake rise up, turn violent; he drags Soobin back by the sleeves, clutching onto his body like a koala, grip vice-like round his stomach. Soobin lets him hold on, partly because he was a kid, his precious _baby_ \- and partly because he needed a support to cling onto for dear life and scream at the situation, too.

Okay, so he wasn't _as_ bad as Kai. But he could definitely give him good competition.

"Oh hell, what the _fuck_." And there goes Beomgyu again, using some of his more colourful choice of vocabulary with wholehearted passion. Soobin doesn't know him that well, but he can guess that the younger boy was particularly stressed out, for obvious reasons. "Oh fuck- shit, _damn it_. What the _fuck_ are they _doing_?"

"Um, how about you stop saying _'fuck'_ for one damn second?" Soobin exclaims, stumbling back when another heat wave rises up from the water. He understands the panic, and if he were a bit more composed, he would've been politer about it, but- "Please stop cursing, it's really painful to hear."

"You ever heard of coping mechanisms?" Beomgyu throws back, his regional accent thick on his tongue, and yeah, he got Soobin there. "I literally _cannot_ handle this without swearing!"

"Then how about you leave out _that_ word, please?" Soobin hisses as Kai's grip goes tighter around him. "Maybe use a different slang-"

"Would you prefer if I said _'motherfu'_ -"

"GAHH!!" Soobin slaps a hand over Kai's ears, turning to full-on glare at Beomgyu. " _Seriously?!_ " He's shocked, affronted, and _very much_ annoyed. "There's an actual _child_ here, please have some control-"

"Who're you calling a child?" Huening Kai shakes his hands away, snapping his teeth in mock-retaliation. He straightens up, then hurriedly comes to stand in between his hyungs, spreading his hands in urgent placation. "Okay everybody, _stop_. We need to calm down." He glances once at Soobin and once at Beomgyu, trying to break up their heated pseudo-staring match. "Okay, look. I know we're scared, alright? We're scared _shitless_ -" Soobin makes a face at that, "-but nothing will come out of us fighting each other, okay? We need to stay calm, and think about this. We can't just let them keep on fighti-"

"What's happening here?" Someone says, and the three of them turn to see Instructor Park Jimin running up the grass towards them. Instructor Min Yoongi follows slowly behind. "You kids- what's going on?"

"OUR FRIENDS ARE FIGHTING IN THE WATER," Beomgyu all but shouts, pointing at the Lake and bouncing on his toes like a little kid. "THEY'RE LITERALLY FIGHTING, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO."

Instructor Park Jimin stars at them with a flabbergasted expression- then suddenly rounds up on his companion. "Hyung," he says angrily, a whine in his voice. "See? I _told_ you this would happen! Now what do we do about it?"

"Hmm. They're underwater?" Instructor Min Yoongi blinks quizzically into the Lake, then breaks into a small grin. "Very well. Looks like they remembered the charm. Very good."

" _Hyung_!" Instructor Jimin puts both hands on his waist and shoots him his sternest glare. Which, considering his pitched voice and rather soft features, does nothing to actually intimidate anyone. "Stop fooling around. What do we do about those kids? They're fighting _under the water_!"

"WITH LIGHTNING AND THUNDER," Beomgu unhelpfully adds. "ALSO, YEONJUN-HYUNG IS A SKILLED FIRE-USER, SO THERE'S THAT, TOO."

"Well, if they hurt each other, we could easily eliminate them," Instructor Yoongi ignores the way Soobin and Kai balk at the suggestion. "But until something happens, all we can do is wait and see. We're not allowed to meddle in the Hunt, you know?"

Instructor Jimin visibly deflates. "I know," he says, looking down at the Lake with a worried pout. "But what if they get seriously hurt? Jin-hyung will _kill_ us."

"Jin-hyung will kill _them_ before he kills us," Instructor Yoongi shrugs. He wraps an arm around Instructor Jimin and stands closer to the water; however subtle, Soobin's thinks that's an unusually sweet gesture. "Don't worry, we'll get them out if something happens, okay? For now, let's just wait."

A loud, ear-splitting blast is heard from the Lake. The waters rise up impossibly high, then crash down in an angry, tidal wave, drenching the grass on the bank and people standing around it in hot, churning liquid. Soobin's ears clog up, vision blurring.

 _'Oh God,'_ he thinks as he screws his eyes shut, shaking the water out of his hair. _'Oh God, they're going to die. They're going to get **terribly** hurt, and-'_

_I'll be able to do nothing._

Suddenly, he feels breathless, a little light-headed. This is what he had been afraid of, this is what he had been dreading all along. The most he could do right now was stand on the bank and do nothing while Yeonjun... while his _partner_ risked everything to gain that clue, to help their team win. Even if they did succeed, it'd all be through Yeonjun's efforts, and none of Soobin's, and that.. that ate him up. The idea of being useless- the sheer _guilt_ of his nature crawled up from his gut and swallowed him. Yeonjun was strong, Yeonjun was brave, Yeonjun was _stunning_ , while he was, he was just-

_'Soobin.'_

He was useless.

_'Hey, Soobin, listen to me!'_

He was lame, and weak. He didn't deserve Choi Yeonjun as his partner. Not in a thousand years-

 _'Yah, you human!'_ Soobin snaps out of it as the voice in his head suddenly shouts. _'Stop overthinking and go help your partner! We can do this!'_

'What?' Soobin exclaims, astounded by the suggestion. _'What can we even do? You know I can't swim, and they're **in** the Lake-'_

 _'Soobin, did you forget?'_ For once, the Rabbit sounds not remotely lethargic and very strangely excited. _'Water is our speciality! We're one of the best Water-users in the school- an accomplished water mage! If there's anyone here who can help them out, it's us!'_

Soobin blinks, then deeply inhales through his nose. _'Okay, first: I didn't forget that.'_ (He _did_ , a little, but the Rabbit didn't need to know that.) _'Secondly, I can only perform generic spells! Like making air bubbles or manipulating jet-streams- and walking on water is not going to be of any help! How is that even helpful?'_

_'Soobin, did you forget? The spell we learnt in the Library- that very useful one?'_

_'Which one?'_ Soobin thinks, reflecting hard and desperate back to all his times in the Uni Library before this camp- and suddenly, it clicks. _'Oh, **that**. But-'_ his eyes go round, anxiety spiking higher. _'But- wait! That's a really high-grade spell, and- I practised it only once! Also, this Lake is **huge**. I can't do it here, it's impossi-'_

 _'Oh, just try, you idiot,'_ the Rabbit cuts him off, sharply. It was starting to sound a little mean- Soobin kind of preferred it asleep. _'For once in your life, stop second-guessing yourself and do something. I don't care about that Predator, but he's our partner, and we can't just leave him there. So do it.'_

Feeling panicked, the tall boy closes his eyes. _'But-'_

"Hey, look! What's happening?"

He opens them again at their youngest's shrill exclaim. Everyone around looks down, to stare at the water as Kai points a shivering finger towards it. With rapid, ominous heartbeats, eyes widening, Soobin gapes at the swirling, rising waves in disbelief, numbly registering the spinning vortexes of heat and electricity taking over the Lake. There's a cry, some shouts, a mumbled _"Damnit, are they insane-?"_ , and that's when he realises that if they didn't do something, the situation was simply going to get out of hand. More than it already had.

And he couldn't let that happen.

Soobin needed to do something. Something to save his partner. He needed to do something _right now._

**-**

  


_"Oh, goddamn it- TAKE THIS!"_

  


They've been going at it for minutes, hours, days- he doesn't know. All Yeonjun knows is that they've been fighting _forever_ , releasing spell after spell and fire against thunder, clashing viciously amongst the waves as the waters heated up and swirled around them. There were no fishes around, all of them flocking back to the deepest depths of the Lake, probably scared out of their wits. Yeonjun felt bad for causing such an inconvenience, but he had a Hunt to win. His partner was waiting for him above, his opponent was not giving up, and that annoying clue was still out of reach.

Rather, Taehyun wasn't giving him any chance to reach it. Neither of them had gotten a hold of that paper yet, and it was simply _infuriating_.

 _"Watch out,"_ the younger calls out before perfectly shooting another Twin-bolt at him. Yeonjun activates his Shield and dodges it skilfully; it's funny, how Taehyun almost didn't want to hurt him, kept giving out warnings, but pushed through all the same. Even under the intense, frustrating pressure, the older boy feels a wave of pride surging through him; however stubborn, however annoying Taehyun could be, it was clear the lights had paired Beomgyu up with the best, most loyal partner, ever. And a little part of Yeonjun was immensely grateful for that.

Now, if only he could get rid of him.

 _'Let's try a Dragon's Breath, shall we?'_ He pitches the idea to the Fox, who seemed a bit too much excited about this particular duel. _'If it's good enough, we can blast him away a large distance, and get a chance to nab that clue.'_

 _'That's not a bad idea,'_ his spirit says. And starts to holler, _again_. _'If you give it your best shot, it'd be perfect! Go for it, Jun- let's destroy that ki-'_

Suddenly, it stops. Something was happening.

 _'What the-'_ Yeonjun glances around in confusion. Something was _happening_. _"Yah, Taehyun-ah! What the hell are you doing?"_

 _"I'm not-"_ he hears Taehyun shout out with equal surprise, gawking at their surroundings as well. _"It's not me, hyung. The water, it's-"_

 _"It's rising up,"_ Yeonjun observes with blank, slack-jawed disbelief. He feels light, incredibly lighter, as the waves slowly rise and take everything up with them, all bubbles and loose rocks and fishes included. It was a strange sensation, almost like floating in mid-space, and, and- _"Oh God, what the hell. What in the world is-"_

Before he can react, everything inside the Lake is sucked right up into the air. 

**-**

  


_'Hold on, Yeonjun.'_ Standing straight on the grassy bank, a nervous tremble in his hands, Soobin closes his eyes as he approaches the Lake. _'Please, just hold on. I'll help you out.'_

"Hyung!" he hears Kai shout, as the older bites on his lip and whisks out his wand. "Hyung, wait. What're you-"

 _'Here goes nothing,'_ Soobin thinks, and instantly activates the spell.

**-**

  


**[CHOI SOOBIN: TWO AND A HALF WEEKS AGO]**

  


"Woah. Don't tell me- you were asked to attend that camp too?"

  


Soobin's ears perk up. Curiously, he looks away from his book to glance around, trying to pinpoint the source of that voice.

"Yeah," another person speaks up, and now _that_ was someone Soobin knew all too well. "I mean, I haven't accepted it yet, but I guess I'll go."

" _Of course_ you gotta go!" The former guy exclaims, a bit too loud, and Soobin finally manages to locate them sitting together just two tables away. As expected, it was Choi Beomgyu from Sports, huddling close with Choi Yeonjun, quite habitually unable to tone down his excitement, even in a strictly peace-observing Library. "I got the offer too, and I accepted it! Only the best ones from each faculty are invited, so it's no wonder you were chosen. Don't waste it, hyung."

"Yeah, you're right," Choi Yeonjun smiles, replying softly. If Soobin wasn't following their conversation, he wouldn't have even heard it. "You're right, Gyu. Maybe it'd be fun."

"I wonder who else will be selected," Beomgyu says, squishing his cheeks in between his palms. At his words, Soobin begins to wonder too. "Man, I hope it'll be as fun as it sounds. No nerds allowed."

Reflexively, Soobin looks down to stare at the blank form lying beside his own books on the table. He eyes the paper tersely, goes through the required fields, and for a split moment wonders if he shouldn't accept the offer, after all. Against all arguments, he _was_ an awkward, introverted fellow, too shy and _nerdy_ to hang out with the Cool and Fun student population. It was truly no surprise that Choi Yeonjun got selected, as did his best friend- but maybe _his_ selection would come as a disappointment to many. Maybe the professors shouldn't have chosen him; maybe, he should just man up and decline this before he made a complete and utter fool out of himself at the camp.

Also, he'd never even been to an _actual_ camp before. What if he didn't understand their culture and just.. messed things up?

_'How about you stop overthinking things and return to your studies, huh? Your loud thoughts ain't letting me sleep.'_

_'Sorry,'_ Soobin pouts; ducks his head down on instinct. _'I'm, uh- do you think we should accept this offer? Attend that camp they'd been talking about?'_

 _'The Prof did give us an invite, right?'_ the Rabbit lazily yawns. _'Yeah, why not? Unless we gotta move around a lot, I don't see any problem.'_

 _'Well, it is an **educational** camp,'_ Soobin pushes the round glasses up on his nose. _'At the most, it'll be like attending normal classes in a more natural, open environment. I'm sure there'll be nothing too physically demanding.'_

_'Hmm. Well then, I don't see why we shouldn't go. What're you even worried about?'_

_'Um-'_ Worried that he may not be too fun? Worried that he'll embarrass myself? That he'll be quiet and awkward and totally kind of lame? There could be so _many_ things.

Instead of voicing all that, he simply says: _'Choi Yeonjun will be there too, you know?'_

 _'Whaat??!'_ his spirit loudly exclaims. _Now_ it seemed quite awake. _'Wha- why do those Predators have to suck the fun out of everything? Only three weeks' time, that's all we're asking!'_

Soobin presses his lips together. Maybe he was playing a bit underhanded, but he continues: _'So.. do you still think we should go?'_ He feigns deep interest in the thick book he had finished halfway through; there was an interesting water-spell here, maybe he could try it out later. _'It might not be as fun... Also, I don't think the camp will be any different than our regular Uni classes, so we won't be missing out on anything important, too.'_

 _'Yeah, let's not go. Don't wanna be anywhere near them.'_ The Rabbit grumbles as it returns to its nap. Somewhere in his gut, Soobin thinks he's doing something wrong, but doesn't question it further. It's okay, it was no big deal. It was just a stupid camp, and maybe this way, his and Yeonjun's worlds could stay apart. This way, he could remain invisible to him, and not pop up as some too-tall, too-lanky kid who might trip over his own feet and break his glasses. Maybe this way-

"Hey, hyung! Guess what?" There are loud footsteps behind him, and suddenly two strong, gangly arms tightly wrap themselves around his neck. Soobin laughs as Kai blows into his ear childishly, brightly chirping: "Hyung, hyung! You know- something _amazing_ happened today!"

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Soobin turns, smiling despite himself at the pure, unadulterated happiness marring the younger's face.

Huening Kai grins wider, his small canines glinting against the afternoon sunlight. "A Summer camp! I got invited to a very special, very _educational_ Summer camp! Isn't that exciting?"

For a split-second, Soobin's mind blanks. Within a moment, he weighs his options, the pros and cons; thinks about Beomgyu's words, his own insecurities, Kai's beaming face- and suddenly, he's made a decision. A _stupid_ one, but a decision nevertheless.

"You know what? I got invited there too." He winks, and laughs when Kai's jaw drops in adorable surprise. "Let's go together, Ning Ning- I bet it'll be fun."

 _'What the heck-'_ his Rabbit shouts, justifiably indignant, and Soobin internally winces. Yeah, he's got to buy a lot of ice-cream to makeup for _this_ one.

  


**(** Actually, the thought of staying away from Kai, letting him go somewhere else without him, seemed too physically painful for Soobin. He loved the kid too much to let him go, so even at the risk of his reputation, Soobin wanted in. He wanted to be wherever Huening Kai was, wherever he would let the older be with him.

He just needed to stay away from Choi Yeonjun, that's all. For such drastically different people with such drastically different reputations- it was unlikely they'd ever cross paths at camp, anyway. **)**

  


**-**

  


"Hyung!" Huening Kai shouts, again. Beomgyu holds him back as he leaps and struggles, unable to move forward. "Wah, Soobinie-hyung! What are you _doing_?"

  


_I DON'T KNOW!!_ Soobin wants to shout; but he can't. He can't, because his teeth are gritted against each other, mind focused, tall frame standing erect but slightly trembling under the enormous force of the spell. He can feel the water around him, rising and reaching out and responding to his commands; his magical element, so pliant and submissive, but a force to be reckoned with when completely unified. He can't shout, can't get a word out- so Soobin simply stretches out both hands and points his wand towards the Lake, the tip glowing blue, hoping against hope his attempt would work. 

Objectively speaking, it was a simple spell. He had learnt it on a whim, tried it out only once, but if it worked-

 _'You can do it,'_ the Rabbit says, again. Even though he doesn't quite believe it, Soobin keeps on trying. _'It's working- it's working! The water's rising up, keep goin-'_

"Oh. My. God." That seemed to be Instructor Jimin's voice, pitched high and sounding uncharacteristically awed. "Oh God, kid, you- that's _incredible_."

"Pretty impressive, indeed." Instructor Yoongi's words were quiet and languid, but there was an appreciative lilt to it, which was more encouraging than anything. "It's not a bad idea, but if he can pull it off, it'd be a miracle."

"Hyung!" Kai shouts once more, but this time he seems more awed than upset. "How- where'd you even learn that?"

"L-Li-Library," is all Soobin can say, eyelids shut painfully, mind desperately focused. _Yeonjun_ , he thinks, and pushes on. _Yeonjun-hyung, just wait- wait for me. I- I can-_

_I can help you._

When it all comes together, the entire spell clicking, he doesn't even feel it. There's a fire in his veins, burning his blood, reducing his bones to jelly, and it's only the voice of his spirit and the name inside his head that keeps him going. He was used to being useless, was used to making a lame attempt and giving up. But this time- this time-

"OHHH DAMN," Beomgyu says, and suddenly, Soobin opens his eyes. He did what he'd wanted to do, but still his jaw drops open in shock. "HOLY SHIT, THAT'S AMAZING."

And it is; it truly _is_ amazing. Because the entirety of the Lake was now _floating_ high in the air, a giant liquid bubble stranded still in the sky, and it was his magic. His doing. _He_ had done _this_. Letting out a gasp, Soobin looks down; down at the dry water-bed, at the large rocks and colourful corals stuck to the earth like stubborn kids, heart hammering as he searches for the moving figure of a human. Anyone. He turns, looks- and just when he thinks his plan had failed after all, a loud, loud voice rings forth from amidst a jungle of weeds.

"SOOBINIE," Yeonjun jumps as he waves up at him, clothes thoroughly wet but a giant, mega-watt smile marring his face. The taller boy could've cried in relief. "HEY, MAN. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU JUST DID, BUT I FOUND THE CLUE. WE WON IT!!"

And sure enough, there's a shiny, blue paper clutched tightly in his hand. His legs giving out, Soobin sinks onto the wet grass, taking care to not break the spell just yet.

 _'We did it,'_ he thinks, thoroughly dazed. _'We did it. We actually won.'_

  


**(** Now that it was all over, he could gladly think about how amazing and ingenious his plan had been. The actual spell he had learnt was something that could lift a given amount of water and make it float in the air like a solid bubble. It had a small range, usually used on water in bowls or glasses- so to try it out on an entire Lake had been too much of a stretch. Actually, he could've easily fished out Yeonjun and Taehyun from the water had he known their exact location, but they were moving around so much it had been impossible to pin them down. The only thing he could think of was to fish out the Lake itself, and hope that one of them managed to hold onto the deep-rooted weeds or rocks on the bed. His primary concern had been to separate those two, because it would've only been a matter of time before one of them killed the other. Or got hurt. All because of some stupid clue.

Which, by the way, was now theirs. _Unbelievable._ **)**

  


Just like he had hoped, Soobin looks up to see Taehyun swimming confusedly around the airborne Lake-bubble, expression denoting pure shock and mortification. Breaking into a wide, toothy grin, Soobin says, "Beomgyu, please ask him to stop panicking, he's safe there. I'm going to bring him down as soon as Yeonjun-hyung climbs out of the lake."

"Okay," Beomgyu nods. "YAH, TAEHYUN-AH, HOLD ON," he shouts up, cupping his mouth, as Kai vehemently nods. "YOU'RE GONNA GET OUT OF THERE, STOP ELECTROCUTING YOURSELF."

In response, the crimson-haired guy shoots them the darkest glare humanely possible.

"Okay, now that _that's_ over," Instructor Min Yoongi claps his hands, and suddenly Soobin remembers where they exactly were. "Keep the Lake back where it was, kid, it's still K-Camp property. Your team officially moves on to the next round, though we're gonna have to report this very _interesting_ fight to the higher-ups."

"Um, are we going to be eliminated?" Huening Kai asks, with a worried, dejected expression. "Neither of them got _hurt_ , so.."

"Don't worry, you're in the clear," Instructor Jimin smiles reassuringly, as Yeonjun finally clambers onto level ground. He points at him and Soobin holding hands and jumping around in joy with a tiny finger. "Though I guess _they_ got the clue, so unless you can obtain another one from a different location, your team can't advance any further. The Hunt ends for you guys here."

"Sorry, guys," Yeonjun says, panting and wiping the water sticking all over his face. Kai's face falls; there's a pinched, pained expression on Beomgyu's as well, but he coolly shrugs and seems to snap out of it.

"Don't worry, hyung," he says, as Soobin starts to slowly lower the Lake back down. "I'm just glad neither of you got killed in there."

**-**

  


Of course, as it later turns out, besides the unique ability to mess with people' hair, History and Experimental Magic major Kang Taehyun had a level of determination that could single-handedly rival Yeonjun's, as well. In the wake of the little stunt he pulls off the second he clambers out of the water, even the Instructors are left in complete and utter shock.

Seems like Team Cabin E still had a say left in this.

**-**

  


"OH THAT SNEAKY, GODDAMN SQUIRREL. JUST WAIT TILL I SEE HIM AGAIN- I'LL KILL HIM!"

  


Soobin sighs as he tiredly trudges one step behind a fuming Yeonjun. " _Technically_ , he did nothing wrong." He sighs again when his partner walks faster, decidedly in an explosive mood. Which, considering the circumstances, Soobin could _understand_ , but was too drained to participate in. "They _did_ say all kinds of spells were allowed. Taehyun just.. caught us off-guard. A bit."

"Yeah, but a _Duplication spell_?" Yeonjun exclaims, hands flailing around animatedly. "He actually _cloned_ our clue and got it for their own team. That's borderline cheating!"

"Yeah," Soobin sighs. He had been shocked too, when a panting and dripping-wet Taehyun had stepped out and aimed his wand at Yeonjun's closed fist, swiftly magicking a copy of their tiny, hard-earned clue. "Still within the rules though."

"Fuck rules," Yeonjun says, and Soobin agrees. "If they have the same clue like ours', that means we're going to get the same location, _again_. I swear, the next time we face them, it'll be an actual bloodbath."

 _'Yeah, I don't doubt it,'_ the taller boy says to his happily napping Rabbit. _'Never did I imagine we'd turns enemies against Kai's team, yet here we are.'_

Honestly, Soobin would scream- with joy- if this Hunt got over and they could finally catch a break. It was the first day, and already he couldn't feel most of his body. The squabble at the Lake had taken up a good few hours, resulting in it being only a few minutes to sundown, so the Hunt had been called off for the day. He couldn't wait to walk into the cafeteria- which he sincerely hoped had returned to normal- and enjoy a good, hearty meal, but his partner's vindictive enthusiasm really astounded him. He had always admired Yeonjun's energy, felt awed by his tenacity- but now, it just left him charmed and very high-key _confused_. How could a person even be this tireless, so energetic?

"Hey, Soobin."

"Hmm?" he glances sideways. Yeonjun's steps had somewhat slowed down beside him.

"Why.. why didn't you tell me you were a Water-user? And.. such a strong one at that?" Yeonjun bites on his bottom lip as he says, looking slightly uncertain but also genuinely curious. His fingers play with his wand as he continues, "I mean, if you'd used that spell earlier, maybe we could've avoided this whole underwater thing."

"Oh." Soobin's lips part, fumbling inelegantly for words. "Oh, well, I-" he scratches his nape, feeling embarrassed. "Actually, with all that panic and stress, I kinda... forgot... about that." When Yeonjun looks at him with a slightly irked frown, he quickly elaborates, "But no, listen- even if I remembered, it would've been of no use. I can only fish something out when I know exactly where it is. Since we didn't know where the clue might be under the water, using that spell would've been fruitless." He lowers his gaze; and feels pretty stupid when he ends with: "Also, I _really_ can't swim, so I couldn't have helped you there, either. It- it's a bit ironic, with me being a Water-mage and all, but... yeah."

He barely resists the urge to screw his eyes shut. Oh, this was so _lame_.

"I see." A pause. Then: "That's really cool."

Soobin whips his head up. Turns to his partner incredulously.

"W-what?"

"Yeah, it's really _cool_ ," Yeonjun says, and though his clothes were crumpled and his blue hair was stuck to his forehead, there was still a wide, blinding smile on his face. "You know, I never imagined someone could do something like that. Haul up an entire, giant-ass lake. No offence, but especially not _you_." Maybe the exhilaration of the adventure was making him loose-tongued, but he wasn't very wrong. "I just thought you were smart and intelligent, and not too inclined towards magic- but that trick was _incredible_. You're actually the coolest Water mage I've ever seen in my life, Soobinie."

Soobin's mouth falls open.

Normally, he would've blushed and curled in on himself at the abundant praise; but the way Yeonjun doled it out so freely, so casually but genuinely, had him burning crimson from top-to-toe. He couldn't bring himself to meet eyes as he nodded once, mumbling a whisper-quiet _Thank you_ while not quite believing that the coolest person of the University could consider _him_ to be cool, as well. It was a miracle; and again, he was just so glad he had taken a step forward and done it. Whipped out his hand and cast the spell. For the first time ever, he had stopped overthinking and _done_ something, and had hopefully made himself a little useful to his partner.

 _'Thank you,'_ he whispers to his spirit without whom he'd have been truly lost. _'Thank you so much for supporting me.'_

 _'Yeah, whatever. I still hate that Fox,'_ the Rabbit replies flippantly. Soobin shakes his head at its stubbornness, and smiles all the way back to the cafeteria.

**-**

  


Their day might've been over, but the Hunt was yet to conclude. 

  


Under the bright lights of their cabin, Yeonjun rolls open the clue they had obtained and places it on the bottom-bunk pillow for him and Soobin to read. Written in glowing, golden letters, their third hint ran like this: 

  


_Leaves and leaves, trees and mist,  
Where the soil is soft to bury a tiger's fist.  
Where golden drops of honey mark not an animal's prowl,  
Go, search in the Greenhouse if you want; we shall not consider it a foul._

  


There's a long, tense silence, for a minute, two, three. Finally, soullessly, Yeonjun remarks: "I don't know what this is, but it's definitely in the forest."

"Yeah," Soobin blankly agrees. He looks down to the map in his hands- while wearing a pair of round, extremely cute glasses- and sighs softly. "It just _had_ to be there, huh."

Well, this was bad. Curse their stars- or Yeonjun's own lazy legs- but now they had to search for their clue in a place with which they were dangerously unfamiliar with. Even without the silver mist, they had a good chance of losing their way, confusing the trails; and what's _worse_ was that Taehyun's team had a perfect map of the forest. If there was any place in there that fit the strange description given in the clue, they would find it easily, and Yeonjun's team would be left in the dust, and for _good_ this time. Even the idea of it felt horrible to imagine.

Things would've been better had the clue at least made any _sense_. As always, it was bizarre.

Yeonjun re-reads the clue, twice, then hopefully voices out a point. "See, here.. it says that we can search in the Greenhouse if we want. Maybe we could find something there."

"Yeah, that's what's been bugging me, too," Soobin's eyes were trained resolutely on their map. He runs a hand through his hair, visibly confused. "But it's strange, hyung. There _is_ no Greenhouse here. All we have is the cafeteria and the Library and the unopened Activity Arena... but there's nothing like a Greenhouse in this camp, anywhere."

"What?" Yeonjun scoots closer to his partner. "Then.. then what the hell does this mean?"

"I don't know. I really have no idea."

  


Oh, bother. Looks like it was going to be a long, confusing night ahead. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope that was okay! We're drawing closer to the end of the Hunt, please look forward to the next update! Thank you a lot for the continued support, I couldn't have come this far without you guys. Thank you so, so much! o(*°▽°*)o
> 
> Comments and kudos are very, very appreciated. Please stay safe, and take care of yourselves! Hope everyone has a great day/night! <333


	8. Interlude: Find the Greenhouse!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is very, very late, but personally, I feel like this one's one of my better chapters, so.. Without wasting any time, enjoy reading, everyone! :))

  


It's eleven-thirty on the clock, the slip of sky visible through the window is dark, and Choi Yeonjun thinks he is facing a _major_ problem.

  


There's something to be said about the way his body reacted after coming out of a crazy adrenaline rush. His bones felt like jelly, his limbs sagged in exhaustion, his mind went blank; and there was this annoying voice in his head that nagged at him to eat and sleep and do nothing else for a couple of eternities. Yes, Yeonjun was competitive, and energetic; but he was as human as anyone else, and sometimes, his body yearned for rest. Sometimes, he needed to give in to his spirit, and take it easy for the day.

Unfortunately, while that _was_ the case tonight, he couldn't give in this time. Tonight, they had something important to do. 

  


_'For the very last time, we **can't** back out of this.'_

  


_'Do I look like I care?'_ the Fox spits back at him most stubbornly. _'I. Don't. Care. We've had one hell of a day, and I want to sleep. I'm not traipsing around camp in the middle of the night just to figure out some stupid, annoying riddle. Put your brains to use if you can, but **do not** leave this cabin. I won't allow it.'_

For the third time since dinner, a long sigh escapes Yeonjun's lips. A war between him _and_ him- it certainly was a morally conflicting dilemma. On the bunk below him, he can hear Soobin let out a drawn-out, suffering groan, and takes it that his spirit was giving him trouble, too.

_'What do you mean, giving him **trouble**? That may be a bunny, but at least it's got some brains. Unlike the two of you.'_

"Oh, for real," Yeonjun rolls his eyes, and jumps down from his upper bunk to slip into his shoes. Soobin perks up, shoots him a hesitant glance; but after a moment's consideration, climbs down and follows suit anyways. Yeonjun winces as his spirit shrieks murder inside his head; even though it's right for once, he simply couldn't listen to it. They couldn't afford to waste any more time; the Hunt would begin from sunrise, and if their assumptions were correct, their next location had to be somewhere inside the forest. For the lack of a good map and poor deductive skills, they had no idea _what_ they were supposed to search in there, and this night was the only chance they had to figure it out. 

**(** " _Where golden drops of honey mark not an animal's prowl,_ " he hears Soobin mutter under his breath while slipping on his sandals. "If not an _animal_ , then it's definitely a _plant _. God, why does it keep coming back to plants?"__

Yeah, if it wasn't obvious already, Soobin's brain was fried. As was Yeonjun's. They both were at their limit, and undoubtedly, Yeonjun could claim that clue to be the strangest poem ever made in existence. Seriously, did the Instructors _like_ seeing them in agony? This was just so wrong on so many levels- **)**

Anyways. What's _worse_ was that Taehyun's team had a perfect map of the forest. If such a thing as described in the poem even existed, they would definitely find it first, and get ahead. Yeonjun couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let them win, not after all this, not a chance in Hell.

Tonight was their only hope; their last opportunity to find that non-existent Greenhouse. Now, if only his spirit would cooperate. 

_'What the fuck, Jun. Are you really doing this?'_

_'Yes, I am.'_ Yeonjun pulls open the door, and steps out into the cool Cabin C porch. The night had fallen deep, blanketing the camp in pitch-dark luminosity; there were tall lamp-posts with burning, multi-coloured flames, lighting up the compound at regular intervals, but the chill of the night persisted even still. The cold breeze slapped at his face, trailed goosebumps along his skin- and out of the corner of his eye, Yeonjun saw Soobin wrap his arms tightly around himself. It wasn't particularly cold, but the eerie nocturnal air had a way of striking fear into the surprisingly gullible human mind.

"So.. where do we begin?" his partner asks, pushing the round glasses up on his nose (Yeonjun isn't looking, but he thinks the younger looks _incredibly cute_ wearing them. They suited his style). "Shall we look for any place that might have plants?"

"According to Instructor Taehyung, _that's_ what we should do," Yeonjun scratches his cheek, frowning uncertainly. "He actually said a lot of things, but that was the only one which made any sense."

"His _hint_ wasn't any different from our clue, was it?" Soobin sighs softly. "Too cryptic, indeed."

  


**(** Fifteen minutes ago, when they had still been poring confusedly over the shiny blue paper's contents, said Instructor roommate had came in to check up on how they were doing. Remembering what the rules said about obtaining _'cryptic help'_ from them, Yeonjun had the good sense to ask him if he knew what the clue- or rather, the _'Greenhouse'_ part- meant; and by the time he had finished, Instructor Taehyung had been staring at them with amused, glinting eyes, as if he'd been waiting for this moment all along.

 _"Well, as it says, you could start by searching around for plants. We may not have a Greenhouse, but we do have an abundance of trees here."_ His warm grin had widened on seeing the crestfallen look on the students' faces. _"Ah, yes, yes- I know there're a lot of places like that, but it can't be helped, right? Unless you find a place which can enrich you with the knowledge of more than just Greenhouse things, I suggest you use this night to search for plants- specific ones- so that it's easier to find your location in the morning. Don't worry- there are animals in the bushes, but nothing that'd bite. Not on purpose, at least."_

Following this strange sermon, there had been the sound of footsteps on the porch, and Instructor Jungguk's voice calling out for his colleague. Almost like a breeze, Instructor Taehyung had then taken his leave, looking quite pleased as he left the juniors clueless, helpless, minds stewing in their own abject misery.

Yes, miserable Yeonjun was. Could that kind of a help even be called a _help_? **)**

  


"Well, it's not like we have anything to lose," Soobin considers. "Even if we figure it out, we'll get lost in the forest tomorrow, anyway. Let's just give it our best shot tonight."

"Yeah," Yeonjun nods. Glancing around, he takes a step forward. Crossing the green cherry tree, they walk upon a path that'd lead them right to the central Announcement Rock.

The camp seemed like a completely different place come nightfall. It appeared like the Instructors of other teams had given their students similar hints, because more than half of the student population was out in groups, like them, strolling around the compound, searching and whispering, glancing here and there. There were twenty-two teams in total, and by the look of things, very few had decided to respect their bodies and sleep in their beds for the night.

Huh. Looks like this Hunt meant a lot to everyone, as well.

"Wow. Looks like the Instructors aren't sleeping, too." Soobin points out in the distance, and sure enough, there's Park Jimin prancing around the grass, looking bedraggled but also strangely excited. (Honestly, _everything_ was strange when it came to their Instructors.) "It's almost like another test. They really planned this through, didn't they?"

Yeonjun hums. Something in the distance catches his eye, and he squints to make it out among the shadows. 

"Hey, look. That seems like a _lot_ of trees in one place. Wanna check it out?"

"Very well," Soobin sighs. He didn't seem too thrilled at the idea of rummaging around bushes in the middle of the night, but neither was Yeonjun. "Just a heads-up, I might accidentally step on an animal's tail or something, so.. do you think you have enough experience in conversing with enraged wild creatures who might want to eat us up?"

Surprising himself, a burst of laughter escapes Yeonjun's lips. Maybe it was Soobin's blank face, his totally serious tone, or just _him_ in general. "No, _no_ , but.. I can try." He grins, feeling warm all over while Soobin sheepishly smiles. "Don't think I can succeed, but for my partner- anything."

Maybe it's the dark, or the wind, or maybe his own obliviousness (according to Beomgyu, he had a _very_ serious case of it)- but trudging forward over the dew-studded grass, Yeonjun completely misses the way Soobin's ears turn scarlet at the words. 

**-**

  


"Oh, Hobi. Before you go, I have a question." 

  


"Yeah?" Instructor Jung Hoseok pauses with his hand on the doorknob, turning back to glance at the man working behind the spectacularly cluttered desk. Golden skin, intelligent eyes, a tired but dimple-creased smile- his friend looks at him with a curious expression, and Hoseok can't find it in himself to deny him anything. "What is it?"

"It's just," the man picks up a messily-scrawled report, reading it over. "Yoongi-hyung said something big went down at the Lake today? Some guys fought underwater- one of them even lifted the entire Lake with an impressive Liquid Levitation. Do _you_ know anything about it?"

Hoseok thinks. Sure, there had been some raging gossip at lunch today, as it always happened during the Hunt, and he remembers that particular story grabbing more than a few curious eyeballs. "Oh, yeah. Must be those students from Cabin C and E. Heard it was a pretty serious fight, but no one got hurt, so they're still in. No eliminations."

"I see," his friend nods. "And what about that Water mage? D'you know his name?"

"Hey, there are a _lot_ of kids out there, okay?" Hoseok runs a hand through his hair, scrunching his face, while his friend grins sheepishly. "I can't say for sure, but I'll get back to you on that." Tilting his head, Hoseok eyes the other knowingly, remarking: "It's curious, isn't it? Those kids?"

"Yeah," the taller man agrees. He smiles as he shuffles through the papers, goes about his work, but Hoseok can see the cogs in his brain turning. "They're _different_ , at least. This year's batch is interesting- very, very interesting." He looks up, with a bright expression, and suddenly, Hoseok can see a young, twenty-something boy who viewed the world as a mystery and couldn't care less about administrative responsibilities. "Kinda reminds you of our own time here, doesn't it? We used to get in _so_ much trouble."

"You think I could forget?" Hoseok has many things to do, but he can't help but reminisce for a moment. Those _were_ some pretty awesome days; arguably the best ones of his youth. "Remember, Yoongi-hyung would rather sleep in than do anything, and Jin-hyung used to get _so_ annoyed with him. Jimin and Taehyung were angels, but put them together and.." he shudders, as if physically reliving it. "Yeah, no need. _Devils_ , both of them, spinning disaster wherever they went."

"I admit, they were a bit troublesome," his friend fondly shakes his head. "But I'm sure our Junggukie was the absolute _worst_. It's surprising how much he's grown, isn't it?"

"Don't let his looks fool you." Hoseok jokes good-naturedly, then says: "You think these kids are gonna be anything like that?"

"We'll see," the other man shrugs; and though he sounds nonchalant, Hoseok can tell there's a weight behind his words. Something tells him this Summer was going to different, more so than anything they could expect. He wants to know _why_ \- but then his friend looks up from the desk, and the moment is broken. "Anyways, thanks a lot for stopping by, Hobi. Could you ask Jin-hyung to come see me when he's free?"

Betraying all that was required to behave like a mature, conventional adult, the General Coordinator makes a face and sticks out his tongue childishly. " _Sure_ ," he sing-songs, enjoying how his friend's ears turn red, the signs still persisting even after so many years. "I'll ask him to visit, _as soon as possible_. Have fun, you two."

"Thanks again!" He hears as he steps out and shuts the door behind him. There's a bright grin on his face; but it falls as soon as he remembers that he had to walk all the way to the Clinic to deliver the message. Oh, the stars were _not_ on his side tonight.

Crossing over the grassy patch with light-footed steps, Jung Hoseok leaves the Camp Director's Cabin and wonders if the other Instructors were okay. Yoongi-hyung would be asleep, he knew for a fact; but if Taehyung and Jimin somehow teamed up, he'd have a lot more on his plate than simply hordes of confused, sleep-deprived students. Oh, he hopes Jungguk would keep them in line; he _could not_ handle another disaster tonight.

  


The Camp Library glows bright like a pin-prick in the distance. Hoseok blinks. _So someone already found it, huh? Interesting._

**-**

  


"No, no- _NO_. LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU ANIMALS! I'M NOT YOUR FOOD, GO HUNT SOMEONE ELSE!"

  


Blinking, Yeonjun halts mid-step. The patch of trees they'd spotted was just ahead, but-"Uh," his brows furrow down in confusion. "Is that.. Isn't that Beomgyu?"

"Huh," Soobin pushes up his glasses, squinting into the distance. "Yeah, it does look like him. What's he doing out there... _dancing_?"

"God, I hope not." Yeonjun takes an unsure step forward, as Beomgyu's enraged voice gradually grows louder. "He may be an idiot, but not idiot enough to dance near _plants_. He's taken Biology, he knows how dangerous trees could be at night."

Soobin looks at him with a scrunched expression, as if wanting to disagree. As they trudge closer to the place, a small, grassy area lined with trees and bushes and sparkling white blossoms, Beomgyu's shabby form grows clearer, his movements sharper. "No, stop!" he exclaims while swinging a hand, trying to chop up what might as well be air. "No, leave me alone! Damn, I hate this- you _DEVILS_ -"

"Yah, Gyu!" Yeonjun shouts, waving a hand to catch his friend's attention. "Hey, what the hell are you _doing_?"

Beomgyu looks up. Fair face half-lit by the moonlight, he seemed to be covered in grass-stains and shadows and what Yeonjun could only make out as tiny, red splotches dotting his skin. "DON'T COME CLOSER, MOSQUITO ALERT," he shouts once he hears them, jumping and waving back, and suddenly those nocturnal, pseudo-aggressive dance-moves make perfect sense.

"Hey, what're you doing _here_?" Soobin asks, stepping close but still a safe distance away from the mosquito-infested zone. He tilts his head, then reconsiders. "Oh nevermind, we have the same clue. So.. are you guys looking for plants too?"

"That's what Instructor Yoongi told us to do," Beomgyu informs them, stretching his waist and limbs and apparently giving himself up to the insects. "Before he passed the _fuck_ out, at least. Taehyun's knocked out too- now it's just me and Kai doing all the searching."

"Hueningie's not with you?" Soobin asks. There's a vague, veiled concern in his voice; Yeonjun thinks he _knows_ how good friends they are by now, but he could do without all these frequent, smarting reminders. Really, it was annoying. "Where is he?"

For a second, Beomgyu looks conflicted, as if not sure whether sharing it might be such a good idea. Ultimately though, he just shrugs, and decides to yeild.

"The Instructor said there's a place where we can know about things more than just plants. Taehyun thought it was the Library, but just in case, he said I should look around the campus, as well. Kai said he wasn't very good with the dark, so he went to check out the books."

For a short, blinding moment, Yeonjun' mind goes blank. _God, of course-_ His mouth drops open the exact moment Soobin turns to look at him with round, bewildered eyes. "Shit," comes out of Yeonjun involuntarily; he slaps a hand to his face, the excitement overtaking him. "Shit, the _Library_. We didn't even- it should _definitely_ be in the Library. We gotta check it out."

"Yeah," Soobin nods vehemently, brows touching his hairline. "Let's go. If we run-"

Suddenly though, there's a rumbling inside Yeonjun's head. Lazily, almost balefully, the Fox says, _'Can't believe I'm saying this but, aren't you forgetting something? Think, human, think.'_

Yeonjun's limbs freeze. "No, wait," he grabs Soobin's arm just as he's about to run. The taller boy looks at him curiously, head tilted. Yeonjun thinks it over, the realisation that'd dawned upon him just a second ago, and makes a quick decision. "Sorry, but- I think you should stay here, Soobin. Let _me_ go look in the Library. You search around these parts, I promise I'll get back as soon as I find something relevant."

"What? _No_ ," Soobin's denial is instantaneous, almost stubborn. "I'm not leaving you alone. If- if we have to go somewhere, we go together. No more of this solo-undertaking business."

"Wait, Soobinie, _listen_ ," after a second's hesitation, Yeonjun places his palms on Soobin's shoulders. His frazzled brain can't keep up with whatever he's doing, and he gulps when Soobin's eyes widen. Sucking in a deep breath, he says, "Look, I need to do this alone, okay?" He softens his voice to a whisper, ignoring Beomgyu's curious eyes studying their interaction. "You- you remember, that incident a few days back? When you got hurt?" _When I hurt you?_ he doesn't say, but means it anyway. When Soobin uncertainly nods, he continues, "I still haven't talked things out about it, with Kai. He's been avoiding me, and- I think this is my chance. He's a good kid, so I want to talk it out, resolve our problems. It'd be best if we had some privacy, and maybe tonight..."

He leaves his statement hanging. Almost like magic, Soobin's displeasure cracks, lips parting reflexively.

"Oh," he breathes out. Those warm, brown eyes light up in understanding. "Okay, uh. Okay, I'll stay here. You go and sort things out. Yeah."

A rush of gratefulness surging through him, Yeonjun's squeezes Soobin's shoulders. "Thanks a lot." Turning, he makes to go, but suddenly, there's a hand on his sleeve, tugging him back. Glancing behind, Yeonjun sees Soobin nibbling on his lip, gaze unsure but very quietly beseeching. "Best of luck," he whispers, shooting him a meaningful glance; and Yeonjun dazzles at him a smile before waving goodbye and taking off in the direction of the Library.

  


"WELCOME TO CAMP NO-BLOOD," he hears Beomgyu shout as the clearing is gradually left behind. He feels bad for leaving Soobin alone, but- "ALL MOSQUITOES AND STUPID HUMANS INVITED. COME HERE, HYU- HEY, WAIT- NO! SOOBINIE-HYUNG, YOU CAN'T JUST _LEAVE_ -"

Yeonjun gulps down the wave of laughter bubbling in his chest, and runs onward.

**-**

  


The first thing that happens on nearing the Library, is him colliding with a guy who was running towards the building as if his life depended on it.

  


"Ow, ow. Sorry." Hoseok doesn't know why he apologises when _he_ was the one being run-over, but the kid kind of looked within an inch of his life as he held onto the Library door and panted for breath, so he'll let it go. "Hey," he greets, somewhat cheerfully, because however dire the situation, a bright smile always came in handy. "Yo, how you doing? Are you here for a hint? Haven't figured out your location yet, have you?"

"No," the blue-haired boy pants. Feline-eyes, plump lips, a toned build and handsome features- wasn't this the kid from Cabin C? "Sorry for.. barging into you, Sir." Another exhale, and: "I, uh- I just hope this is the right place."

Acting purposefully vague, Hoseok hums. "Well, the Library can be the answer to many different things." He shrugs, deepening his voice, trying his best to sound mystifying and dramatic. Jimin says he was becoming a pro at it. "Best of luck, kid. I think someone's already in there, but timings don't matter if you know what to look for."

"Yeah, that's the biggest problem." The boy swings open the door, turns to look at him, and surprisingly, there's a wide, fiery grin on his face. "I have _no idea_ what I'm looking for. But I'll find it, don't worry." A hand raised casually in greeting, he says, "Sorry again. Have a good night, Hoseok-ssi."

In a blink, he's gone, loud steps running up the Library stairs with manic speed. Hoseok stands frozen in his spot for a few seconds, eyes wide, mouth agape- then brings a hand to his chin confusedly.

"Wow, Joon was right. These kids really _are_ -" 

A loud sneeze, ripping its way almost forcibly out of his nose. Despite the sweltering Summer warmth, the wind brought on a full-body shudder, ruffling his locks and trailing goosebumps along his skin. Hooking his palms around his elbows, Hoseok starts in the direction of the Clinic again, hoping against hope that this night gets over as soon as possible. And preferably without any _accidents_. Really, traipsing around camp at midnight and acting like a messenger pigeon- being the General Coordinator around here positively _sucked_.

**-**

  


"Yo. How're you doing?"

  


Yeonjun thinks he sounds suspiciously like Instructor Hoseok when he had collided with him at the door; but the greeting barely has the intended effect, for the curly-haired youngster standing ahead startles, jumping three feet in the air, and almost lets go of the book clutched tight in his hands. "WAH!" Huening Kai squeaks, a hand to his chest, urgently turning around. "God, _Yeonjun-hyung_. Don't sneak up on me like that, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," Yeonjun scratches his nape, shrugging sheepishly. Shooting him a confused stare, Kai huffs and returns to his book, eyes visibly lined with dark, prominent bags. He looked tired, simply exhausted, something Yeonjun could relate to on an almost spiritual level. Shuffling awkwardly, the older looks around the room; the Library was big, way bigger than any he'd seen, and stacked ceiling-high with books. It'd be a pain to find anything in here, but the bigger problem was trying to initiate _conversation_. He's never been too bad at that, his people-charm and confidence coming to him almost naturally- but these were special circumstances, and he was very much confused.

How do you tell the best friend of your partner that you wouldn't hurt your partner ever again? That it had been a mistake, an _accident_ ; something he was really ashamed of and would now like to plead for forgiveness? 

Yeah, he's _screwed_. His life really loved making things difficult for him.

"Anyways, hyung. What're you doing here?" Catching Yeonjun off-guard, Huening Kai's voice softly rings out in the silence. His back is turned on Yeonjun, long fingers flipping through a volume, and Yeonjun turns to a nearby shelf to not make his nervousness obvious. "Are you looking for plants, too? We both have the same clue, so..."

"Yeah," Yeonjun's eyes flit through the shelf-sections, lazily skimming through the titles. "We initially thought about searching the compound, but then we met Gyu, and he said you were in the Library. So I came. You can never be too careful, right?"

For a moment, there is no response. Then almost warily, Kai says: "I see... Where's Soobinie-hyung?"

Despite himself, Yeonjun can't control the way his heart clenches painfully in his chest. _Yeah, I get it. You guys are the best, bestest of friends- why do you keep rubbing it in?_ Gritting his teeth and forcing his lips upwards, he remarks, "Why? Do I look too out-of-place here? I may not love the Library, but I don't really hate it, you know?"

Somehow, Kai sounds almost _annoyed_ when he says, "I know." Throwing his book almost carelessly onto a table, he paces to another corner of the room, footsteps loud. "I _know_ you don't. But.. but Soobinie-hyung _loves_ books. He loves the Library. So, it's a bit weird to see _you_ in here and not him. He wouldn't have backed out of this without a good reason, you know? _Never_."

Softly, Yeonjun sighs. _Another reminder, huh?_ Yes, he knew Soobin loved books; two months of discreet observation would tell him that.

"You're right," he muses. The books were lost on him right now. "Maybe he did have a good reason."

"Oh yeah? And what is it?" Yeonjun turns when he hears a pair of sneakers squeak loudly against the floor. Kai's eyes were narrowed, brows pulled taut, lips frowning. It was an odd expression on him. "I'm sorry hyung, but what's _going on_?" He crosses his hands across his chest, and for a moment, looks almost _dangerous_. "I know you and Soobinie-hyung are partners, but- but if you're _doing_ something, then-" he bares his teeth, and faintly, Yeonjun can see a canine glinting under the murky tube-lights. "I won't stand for it. I really _won't_."

"I know you won't." Despite all the twisted things clawing up his chest, Yeonjun feels a genuine smile tugging at his lips. "I _know_ you won't. Because you care about him. You're his _best friend_."

Kai's rigid stance falters. Yeonjun takes it as a chance to step forward.

"Look, I know he's your friend, okay? I know how much you both care about each other. That's why this is so important." The older's hands come up, almost placating, trying to get it all out of his system. "I know I hurt him, and I'm _sorry_. You won't understand how sorry I am, but you need to believe it. I won't ever hurt him again, not on my own. Never _ever_." He sucks in a breath when Kai's shoulders rise, expression scrunching up. "Soobin's important to me, too, you know? He's my partner. He's- he's my-"

For a second time this week, he falters to finish that sentence. Instead, he clenches his fists and waits for the verdict to drop.

"Hyung," Kai's eyes are still narrowed, but something in his demeanour shifts. "I get it, but- why're you telling me this?"

"Because I'm sorry. Because I want you to know I'm sorry. Because I think you deserve an apology from me- _properly._ " Uncertainly, Yeonjun extends a hand towards the younger, somewhat like a truce. "Believe me, _you're_ really important to me too. You're a good kid, Kai. I wanna be your friend, and I don't want any problems between us. That's why I'm here- that's why I asked Soobin to stay back. For which I'm also sorry, by the way." He lets himself hope when the younger's face slowly lightens up, shoulders loosening. "So... Did this work, or...?"

"I can't believe you'd end it like that," Huening Kai remarks, and there's a teasing lilt to his voice. He sounds a lot like a brat, but _God_ , did Yeonjun miss it. "You know hyung, you're really messy with apologies. You don't do this often, do you?"

"Usually, I don't mess things up this big," Yeonjun shrugs. "But, really... Are we okay?"

Instead of replying, Kai steps forward and clasps his hand in his. "Yes, we are," he smiles, all toothy and cheerful. His eyes are bright, crinkling cutely at the corners, but there's a concerned glint swimming gently among them. "Just.. just take care of Soobinie-hyung for me, please? He's mostly an idiot, but I love him. Don't tell him I said that, but.. I won't be able to handle it if something happens to him, you know? I _always_ worry."

"Okay." It's a bit surprising, coming from the kid, but after some consideration, Yeonjun thinks he can understand that. Giving the other a promising glance, he says: "I promise I'll take care of Soobin. _Promise_ promise."

"Okay, cool."

"Yeah." An awkward pause. A prowling animal calls out shrilly into the night. "So, uh. Should we get back to searching? We did come here for a reason, didn't we?"

Shattering the tiny second of peace, an exhausted groan escapes Kai's lips. "God, at this rate I'm going to drop dead in the forest tomorrow. I really hate this activity."

"Me too, kid. Me too." Chuckling, Yeonjun steps away and begins to look around the room with renewed enthusiasm. They were in the _Plant, Animal, and Other Biological Studies_ section of the Library; and if there was any place they could get a proper hint from, it had to be here. "How about I look around here, and you search those shelves? I know we're sort-of rivals, but working together will save us some time, and maybe we'll be able to catch a few winks before sunrise tomorrow."

"Whoa, you'll really do that?" His back is turned, but Yeonjun can feel Kai give him a surprised, wide-eyed stare. "I- I thought you were mad at us or something. You know, for.."

Yeonjun screws his eyes shut, and exhales a long breath. Almost half-jokingly, he says, "Kid, you really _don't_ wanna go there. Just tell me if you find anything, okay?"

As they turn to the books and eventually start working their way through the volumes, Yeonjun admits to himself that he may be still pretty mad for what Taehyun did to him. Them. He's mad how after that long underwater struggle, the younger resorted to _copying_ his hard-earned clue, when all throughout, he had made it a point to play fair. It's _unfair_ , he supposes, obviously infuriating- but Taehyun did abide by the rules, and considering how hard he fought for his team, maybe Yeonjun could stand to forgive him a little. Besides, he wouldn't be here if they hadn't met Beomgyu in the first place, so.. maybe this could be some form of a payback.

It gets him thinking though. The reason he was working so hard to win this Hunt: was it for his team, or was it for himself?

 **(** What did he even want it to be? **)**

A small night-bird calls out in the darkness. Glancing out of the window, Yeonjun hopes Soobin is doing okay.

**-**

  


"So, uh... I'm sorry."

  


Startled, Soobin glances up from where he was buried almost knee-deep in spiny bushes. "Um. Sorry for _what_ , exactly?"

"Oh, you know." About five feet away, taking a rest among the softer patches of grass and looking dreamily up at the sky, Beomgyu shrugs. "'Bout how Taehyun pulled that move over you guys. He played by the rules, but the act in itself was.. kinda crappy. So, uh- not to say that I'll give you guys any leeway or somethin', but.. I'm sorry. Just putting it out there."

Pushing the glasses up on his nose- which was a pain, really, because they kept slipping down every five seconds- Soobin purses his lips thoughtfully, then firmly shakes his head. "It's okay, you know? Taehyun didn't do anything _wrong_." When he glances over his shoulder to find the younger giving him a strange look, he amends. "I mean, Yeonjun-hyung's pretty mad, but that's because he put in a lot of effort to win the clue. Taehyun did too- and when it got out of hand, he got desperate and resorted to his last means. He only did it for his team, and for that.. I can't really blame him."

When a funny sort of noise is heard in reply, Soobin breaks into a smile. "It's true, you know? I understand him. If I was in his place, I would've done the same thing. Probably."

"For your team?" Beomgyu asks. Soobin freezes in the process of rummaging through the grass.

"Yeah.. for my team. For Yeonjun-hyung."

The breeze rises softly from the West, blowing through the clearing and ruffling Soobin's hair. He's feeling tired, and sleepy, and his glasses have fogged up. He has half a mind to pull them out and clean them, but his hands are all muddy, and he's just really _tired_. How much time had passed since Yeonjun-hyung went to the Library? Did he sort things out with Kai? Soobin has known the kid for years, and he knows that despite his naturally cheerful disposition, the younger could be very stubborn at times. He hopes that they are okay. He hopes that Yeonjun would just come back- soon.

There are footsteps behind him, and suddenly Beomgyu is squatting among the bushes as well. "Well, he did do it for us, I guess. His team." His voice is soft, so different from the loud timbre Soobin had grown used to hearing from him. "It must've been tiring, swimming underwater for so long. No wonder he's conked out now."

Soobin hums. On reflex, he slaps a hand to his arm, on feeling a tiny, burning sting. Gosh, these mosquitoes were a real nightmare.

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"Who? Taehyun?" Beomgyu's face scrunches up in disbelief as he gives Soobin a bewildered look, clearly taken aback. "Like, no offence hyung, but are you _mad_? I _hate_ that guy, he's a huge pain in the ass. Have you even seen me with him? We never stop arguing."

"Yeah, I know," Soobin nods, wiping his cheek with a soiled hand. "But.. he's your teammate. And he fought for you guys. Don't you, kind of, _respect_ him? Even a little?"

That seems to make the younger think. Blinking slowly, Beomgyu remarks, "Okay.. so maybe _that_ I do. A little. He's a shitty person, but a pretty terrific mage. Kinda awesome, like Yeonjun-hyung."

"Yeah, Yeonjun-hyung's really cool."

" _You're_ really cool too, you know?" Beomgyu's shrugs casually. When Soobin shifts beside him, awkward, he turns, lips stretching into a wide, amused grin. "What, has nobody ever told you that before? You were so cool- if you weren't there to save our asses, we'd have been long eliminated! You _know_ that, right?"

Suddenly, Soobin finds the earth extremely fascinating, when not even minutes ago he had wanted to be done with it. "'twas no big deal," he mutters shyly, ears burning. "Just a simple spell, anybody could've-"

" _Anybody_ could-?! Okay, I think we need an intervention here-"

"No, that's- please stop-"

"HEY! YOU TWO!"

Halting in their ministrations- really, it was just Beomgyu trying to physically pump some confidence into the older- both the boys look up. Under the dying beams of the moonlight, two tall, familiar figures come running into view, jumping and waving and looking just thrilled in general. "HEY, BEOMGYU-HYUNG," Huening Kai shouts, voice high and pitched like a dolphin, "WE FOUND IT. WE _FOUND_ IT!"

"They did?" For a moment, Beomgyu looks thoroughly dumbstruck. Then, springing onto his legs, he shouts, "YOU FOUND IT! WAY TO GO KID, I'M SO PROUD OF YOU."

"YAH, I HELPED!" Soobin bursts out in laughter as Yeonjun cuts in indignantly, sprinting the remaining distance between him and the wild bush-field. Eyes bright, cheeks flushed pink, he looks the happiest Soobin has ever seen him, and it's quite the sight. There's a paper in his hands, clutched tight between white knuckles, and he waves it in their faces like a child, grinning brightly.

"You- you found it?" Soobin looks up from where he's nestled among the bushes. "What did you even find?"

"Our next location," Yeonjun grins, sharing a look with Huening Kai. "Or whatever we gotta find, anyway. We got the tiger, the honey, the Greenhouse- _everything_. We solved the entire clue."

"On _accident,_ " Kai adds, swatting his hand. "Not that it matters anyway."

"Okay.. and we were right? It's in the forest?" Beomgyu asks. He snatches the paper from Kai's hands and squints into it. "What- what's this? _Tigris melliferous_ \- what the hell is this?"

"And here I thought you studied Biology," Yeonjun drops in the burn casually. As Kai holds Beomgyu from launching himself onto the older, Soobin stands up, brushing his hands on his trousers. He doesn't understand what it is too, but surely they'd have an explanation. More importantly- "Wait a minute, did you two work _together_? To find this?" At the pin-drop silence that greets him, he asks, "But, aren't we rivals? What about the competition?"

"Oh that's-"

"We're not-"

"Forget 'bout Biology," Beomgyu cups a hand over his eyes and squints into the distance, cutting the both of them off. The others turn to look at where he's pointing, and it's with a dropped jaw that he continues, "More importantly, is that a fire I see in the distance? An actual _fire_?"

"And are those our Instructors?" Yeonjun asks.

"And is that our _cabin_?" Huening Kai shrieks, as the scene becomes clearer, and Soobin's eyes go very, _very_ round. A jump, a yelp, and- "Ohmygod _run_! There's a fire in our cabin! There's a FIRE IN OUR-"

"KIM TAEHYUNG! PARK JIMIN!" A deranged voice that sounds vaguely like the General Coordinator's rings out in the night. "YOU ABSOLUTE DEVILS, CAN YOU NOT FOR _ONCE_ IN YOUR LIVES- FOR ONCE-"

  


Honestly speaking, yeah, Soobin is like miles away from even beginning to understand their clue. He doesn't know what a _Tigris melliferous_ is, and he kind of sucks at Biology (at least he had that in common with Beomgyu). But even then, he's got the rest of the night to figure it out; because right now, as of the moment, his first priority was to stick with his friends and exercise damage control and salvage Kai's cabin (and _maybe_ restrain Instructor Jung Hoseok from committing manslaughter, but they'll get to the serious ones later).

Anyways. The _point_ is, they've figured it out. The riddle. And they had the rest of the night to understand it, find it, and probably even sneak in a few necessary winks. _God_ , did he really crave for some sleep. 

Somehow, things were going well for once. Soobin smiles as he runs over the grass, the wind blowing wildly through his hair. Against all expectations, this night _did_ turn out to be really, surprisingly remarkable, and he's happy. He's really happy.

Ahead of him, Yeonjun breaks out into a soft, bright giggle; and okay, this is Soobin's happiest day ever. _Totally_.

**-**

  


**_First Week:_** _Day 6._ Ends.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! If you've made it to the end, thank you, I hope it didn't disappoint... I know the earlier updates were pretty fast, but there are a lot of things going on, school and stuff, so the upcoming ones may be a bit sporadic.. It's just a heads-up, but don't worry, I will and plan to finish this story, so please, stick around till then!
> 
> Also: this work just hit 100+ kudos and 1200+ hits!!! I know it's probably nothing big, but to me it is, so thank you! Thank you to every reader who is following this story, silent and otherwise, I wouldn't have made it this far without you. Again, please don't feel shy to drop in a comment, I absolutely love and enjoy knowing your thoughts, and it just hypes me up to write more and more! Just.. thank you again! :)
> 
> Anyways, till next time, please stay safe and healthy, everyone! I hope everyone has a great day/night- bye! <3333


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